Utah father considers workplace adoption benefits 'transformational'
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Based in Provo, Utah, the software company Qualtrics ranks among the top employers providing adoption and foster-care benefits to its workers.
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption commissioned a national survey of employers to learn whether they offer financial reimbursement for adoption costs and paid leave for foster parents, and how many workers are eligible for those benefits.
Matt Inama, customer success manager for Qualtrics, said adopting a child can be quite expensive. He stressed the financial reimbursement his company offered was "transformational" for him and his wife to create the family they had always dreamed of.
"Having that kind of support and benefit available from one's employer I think is very, very important," Inama asserted. "It just helps to foster, I think, that sense of belonging for an employee within their organization."
Inama encouraged those considering adoption to know it can be a lengthy process. He emphasized it is critical to find local experts in your area who can shed light on how different laws and guidelines affect the adoption experience.
Rita Soronen, president and CEO of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, said the survey aims to foster a sense of equity among employers which many times offer benefits to families formed through birth. She argued those formed through adoption should be no different.
"We created the 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplace list to encourage employers to take that step, to learn about it," Soronen explained. "Then, we know that employers enjoy sort of competitive advantages over each other and 'best' lists tend to provide that."
Soronen added people in the job market who are contemplating offers may look to see if adoption benefits are included. For some, it could be a deciding factor.
"If everything else is equal and this company offers adoption benefits or foster care benefits, then they tend to lean that way because it said something about the company," Soronen observed. "It gives, we believe, employers a competitive edge in recruiting employees."
