The company’s FWA policy helps you integrate your work and life responsibilities, take care of yourself and your family and reach your professional goals. Now more than ever, with everything we are juggling at work and at home, FWAs are a valuable benefit. For details, go to Sync > HR > U.S. Flexible Work Arrangements.
Making sure your child has high-quality, dependable care takes planning and preparation.
Care Specialists can help you find the right childcare solution for you and your family. Using their database of providers across the nation, specialists will research and prescreen a wide variety of childcare options, including:
Care contacts and qualifies every provider they refer every time. As part of this process, they will:
They can also provide you with a checklist of questions to ask when interviewing a provider, a copy of the state regulations and information on background checks.
To get started, visit merck.care.com to create an account. Care Specialists are also available 24/7 to assist you at 877-399-8240.
Need special assistance?
Are you looking for a provider who has experience with special needs or medical conditions? If your search within the Care network does not return the results you are looking for, Wellthy may be able to help. They can conduct a wider search for in-home support and childcare centers. For more information, visit join.wellthy.com/merck.
Childcare centers through Merck
Merck sponsors three childcare centers located onsite or close to a Merck site for infants through kindergarten.
Summer day camps are also available at these locations.
National childcare discount program
Merck offers a 10% tuition discount for the following childcare center:
Our Backup Care Program provides temporary or short-term care so you can work when your regular care is unavailable.
In-network care: When your regular care arrangements fall through, Care can schedule temporary care for your children through a participating in-home agency or childcare center, including the on-site ECYC Childcare Center at Rahway. Need to cancel? Be sure to call Care within 24 hours of your reservation, otherwise the visit will be deducted from your benefit allowance. There is a $40 copay/day/child for in-center care. Generally, the in-home copay is $4/hour.
Out-of-network care (Personal Network care): You may select temporary care through service providers outside the network (referred to as your Personal Network by Care Specialists) — which include Bright Horizons on-site centers at Upper Gwynedd and West Point) — or care through a friend or family member (not your spouse, domestic partner, dependent child or another Merck employee). For out-of-network care, you can get reimbursed for the cost of care, up to $100 per day. This is a taxable benefit.
Note: Care in excess of 10 hours on a particular day will be considered another backup care day.
Backup care is intended for those who truly need it (to care for children too young to be self-sufficient or adult dependents who require constant supervision). It is not for evening or weekend care (unless this is your scheduled work shift), or for any time you are not scheduled to work.
Backup care is offered through Care at merck.care.com.
Visit the regular care section for more information.
Download the Care.com app to:
Merck provides supportive environments to enable breastfeeding colleagues to express their milk during work hours.
Breastfeeding employees/colleagues who choose to continue providing their milk for their infants after returning to work should follow these guidelines:
You are responsible for providing the necessary breastfeeding equipment (pump/parts, bottles).
If you are enrolled in the Merck medical plan you may be eligible to receive a breast pump (subject to medical plan deductible and coinsurance) and other services (consultation with a lactation consultant). For more information, call a Horizon Health Guide at 877-663-7258, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET.
For more information, please refer to Merck’s Lactation Policy.
If you are breastfeeding and must travel on Merck business, Milk Stork provides refrigerated, express shipping or easy toting of breastmilk at no cost to you.
There are two convenient options:
Note: Overnight shipping is available for U.S. domestic travel only. International shipment of breastmilk will be subject to the rules and regulations specific to that country. This program applies only to employees who must travel on Merck business.
To get started or for more information, visit milkstork.com/merck or contact customer service at 877-242-1306, Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET.
Physical activity plays a key role in your health both today and in the future. To support fitness as part of your regular routine, Merck has fitness centers at many major sites.
For more information, please refer to Merck’s Fitness Center page.
Lyra mental health support*
Lyra provides fast access to high-quality evidence-based mental health care. The first 12 sessions are free and available to you, your spouse/domestic partner, any of your household members and your dependent children outside the household (up to age 26). Following your online assessment, Lyra creates a care plan for you, designed specifically for your unique needs and lifestyle, including a curated selection of mental health coaches and therapists who are currently taking appointments. With Lyra, you can book an appointment with the provider who works best for you.
Visit merck.lyrahealth.com or call 844-737-9423 to get started.
*Merck medical plan members enrolled in the Merck PPO with Horizon BCBS can continue therapy with their Lyra provider beyond the 12 free sessions, and access medication management, all subject to in-network deductibles and coinsurance. Please note: Guided self-care and coaching are not available beyond the 12 free sessions. Medication management sessions are not included in the 12 free sessions. Lyra’s pricing varies based on the provider and type of service. For details on the in-network deductible and/or coinsurance you will be expected to pay, go to the Medical and prescription drugs section of this site. For questions about Lyra provider session rates, contact the Lyra Care Navigator Team at 844-737-9423 or email them at care@lyrahealth.com.
Call a Horizon Health Guide at 877-663-7258, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET for help with:
