Adoptive parent Beau Davidson with his daughter. Davidson is the vice president of employee experience at NVIDIA, a California-based company that was the top ranked adoption-friendly workplace by Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption this year. Photo courtesy of Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.
When it comes to helping employees who have decided to adopt a child, nobody beats NVIDIA.
The California-based artificial intelligence company that offers employees up to 20 weeks of paid parental leave and assists employees financially with the costs of adoption, was named the most adoption-friendly employer in America last week by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption (DTFA)
NVIDIA topped the foundation’s 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces list, an annual report that highlights organizations across the country that support their employees who grow their families through foster care and adoption.
Rita Soronen, CEO of the foundation, said in an email NVIDIA is unique among the list of employers this year because its “financial benefits for an adoption are unlimited (no other organization on the list has this unlimited benefit) and it is offered to all of their employees, part or full-time.” The financial benefits cover adoption-related expenses, including agency fees, travel expenses and other related fees. Both part- and full-time employees also get up to 20 weeks of paid time off when adopting.
“We’re committed to supporting employees in different phases of their life and to understanding that each stage has different needs. We want to support all employees – single parents, biological parents, LBTGQ community members – with family-forming benefits and to do so equitably across all of our programs,” said Beau Davidson, vice president of employee experience at NVIDIA, in an email to The Imprint.
An adoptive parent himself, Davidson said he appreciates the value NVIDIA places on family and supporting the ways all families are formed.
“When we look at our programs at NVIDIA we want to make sure that we support employees equitably and not make an unintended value statement by providing different levels of support,” Davidson said. “Instead, we look to harmonize our programs and show support for all.
Since the Adoption-Friendly Workplaces list was started in 2006, Soronen says the number of companies offering benefits related to foster care and adoption has grown exponentially. Each year independent contractor Aon Hewitt surveys 1,000 American companies about the adoption-related benefits they offer to employees.
“We have seen companies on our list not only grow, but their benefits have become more robust,” Soronen said. “In addition to adoption benefits, there has also been a notable increase in companies offering benefits to foster parents.”
Rita Soronen recognized all the organizations on the list with a video. To view the entire list, click here.
Note: The Dave Thomas Foundation has made charitable contributions to Fostering Media Connections, the parent organization of Fostering Families Today and The Imprint.
