Social media giant Pinterest is due to launch a financial aid scheme to help employees cover the cost of adoption and surrogacy.

The new scheme will come into effect from 1 July. It was prompted by an employee in a same-sex relationship who is seeking surrogacy.

Employees of the San Francisco-headquartered company will receive a reimbursement of $20,000 (€14,782.01) towards surrogacy costs.

Alternatively, $5,000 (€4,460.50) will be reimbursed to couples who are going through the adoption process.

Pinterest parenting

Candice Morgan, head of inclusion and diversity at Pinterest, said in a blog posting: ‘Diversity and inclusion are woven into the fabric of our culture. As our organisation grows, so do the needs of each employee, including those starting families.’

She went on to say that it was from a discussion with an employee about the challenges he and his husband were facing in extending their family that prompted the change.

‘Our People team often speaks with employees to learn more about how we should expand our benefits, and we recently spoke with a colleague who’s been looking into surrogacy with his husband.

‘The high costs associated with surrogacy were raised, and we began looking into how we could help him, and others in similar situations, ease the financial burden.

The company also provides up to 16 weeks paternity leave and up to $20,000 for fertility benefits.

HR expert Aliya Vigor-Robertson from JourneyHR, told GSN: ‘It’s promising to see Pinterest listen to what their staff want and create a more formal approach to innovative benefits, which not only gives employees clarity around what to expect but enforces its message of creating an inclusive and diverse culture.’