Highlights from the FamilyTrust Slack Channel

Family is valued at Billtrust. We support our employees and their families with generous benefits for fertility support, discounted childcare, a robust parental leave policy and a remote work policy that enables flexibility for caregivers of all types.

We also host an Employee Resource Group focused on family matters called FamilyTrust. Each August, which is Family Month, we emphasize events and communications around family matters. This year, our Familytrust members shared personal stories on Slack. Here are a few highlights:

Caitlin: My best advice if your considering invitro:

• Don’t let the cost shock you in the first meeting. Most places have you meet with a financial advisor to look at insurance, company contributions, and other options to make the dream of becoming a parent reachable.
• Instead of asking for an exact timeline, your doctor should run through scenarios that will give you an idea of what to prepare for.
• Flexible work from home schedules, like Billtrust, are super helpful.

Jeff: We adopted our son one day after he was born. As part of the adoption process we met with a great social worker who recommended introducing books and movies that speak about adoption to him while he was young. The goal was to remove any stigma he might feel learning he was adopted.

Here are some of our favorites:

• A mother for Choco, Keiko Kasza
• Are you my mother? P. D. Eastman, edited by Dr. Seuss
• Just Right Family, Silvia Lopez
• The invisible string, Patrice Karst
• Family is a Family is a Family, Sara O’Leary

Michelle: Building relationships with stepchildren can be a delicate process. Younger children might be more open to forming connections quickly, while older children might need more time to adjust. Patience and consistent effort are key.

Kim: Since my son was diagnosed with a chronic illness, we’ve spent a total of 28 days over 3 visits in hospital, I wanted to share what we’ve learned for anyone else who may be going through the same thing:

• They don't call parents by name, they use "mom" or "dad", which can provide comfort but also a reminder that you're at the mercy of people you've never met before.
• Eventually you either grow to be Team Nurse or Team Doctor - we’ve met hundreds of medical professionals and I am proudly a team nurse because of their compassion
• Self-advocacy is a must; no one else is looking out for your family like you can, so you have to take notes, pay attention, do your own research, ask for privacy when you need it, and challenge orders when you think it’s not right for your family.
• It can be very lonely. Support groups are out there, as is Billtrust’s Employee Assistance Program, which helped me find a therapist. Information on this program is in the Benefits Guide on Talent Hub.

At Billtrust, we strive to recognize and support the work, life and caregiving balance of each of our team members. We make space to bring family matters to work and establish authentic relationships in an inclusive environment. Learn more about our employee resource groups.