What HR leaders should know about supporting employees through the adoption process
by
Jenna Vassallo
Jul 17, 2024
One in 25 families with children in the United States have grown their family through adoption.
With more than 100,000 children adopted each year, every company should be thinking about the adoption experience to ensure they’re equipped to support employees through all paths to parenthood.
Not only does it foster a supportive work environment – it also promotes employee retention and satisfaction: Research shows employees who feel supported during the adoption process are more committed to their organizations.
Here are three things every HR leader should address to be a supportive workplace for employees who adopt:
Episode 22
The False Tradeoff
Creating a positive adoption experience for your employees
It’s important to have general knowledge about the complexities of adopting a child to be able to support employees going through it.
A few important things to consider:
They may or may not have advanced notice: Employees often won't have a set timeline for when they get matched or selected. It could take days, weeks or even years before they are notified.
Processes vary by state and type: There is not one unified adoption experience. Depending where an employee lives, or the type of adoption they choose, there’s a different set of circumstances they’ll need to manage.
Adopting a child could require travel: Not every adoption takes place in the same location as the individual lives. This means employees could need accommodations when travel needs arise throughout the process.
2. Evaluate company policies to ensure they support unique needs
Employees who adopt don’t usually need medical leave.
But there is still paperwork, insurance complications, potential travel and several other responsibilities that will require their time and attention.
HR leaders should evaluate various policies that could impact employees who adopt, including:
Parental leave
Caregiver leave
In-office mandates
Paid time off benefits
Reviewing company policies will help ensure the employee going through the adoption process has flexibility and clarity on what they’re eligible for.
For example, consider whether policies allow employees to work remotely when traveling or managing adoption-related appointments so they don’t exhaust PTO or parental bonding time before the child is placed.
This is important to ensure they feel supported – and so they don’t fall behind on work.
3. Audit language for inclusivity
Words matter.
Use positive language when talking about adoption, whether within company policy or verbally communicating with employees.
Here are a few examples of positive adoption language vs. words to avoid:
By taking these different factors of the adoption process into consideration, HR leaders will be more prepared to support their employees as they embark on their parenting journey.
To celebrate all we’ve accomplished, our team shared what they’re most proud of since joining the team:
I'm most proud of how much we have done to improve the single hardest moment for women's careers (going on parental leave) ... one that is often shrouded in insecurity and fear. We've been able to help advocate for so many women (and men!) in a way that is empowering and truly life-changing.
Allison Whalen, CEO & Founder
What am I most proud of? Growth! Growing a category of support that didn't exist before Parentaly. Growing from a one-woman bootstrapped operation to a global team of 25+ employees and coaches. Growing our overall impact for working parents, with companies investing in our parental leave programming to support employees all over the world. And growing as humans: new babies, new friends, new life experiences... all while tackling new and exciting work challenges together.
Rich Burke, Head of Growth
When I reflect on what I am personally most proud of during my time here, it's working alongside a team where we constantly evolve and optimize everything that we do in order to deliver the best possible experience for the folks going through our programs. It sounds cheesy, but there are processes that my team and I used to do 100% manually that are now completely automated and systems in place that have become second nature to how we operate. Working with such thoughtful, smart, and creative people is incredible.
Sara Ophoff, Senior Program Manager
I’m most proud about doing work that makes parents feel confident and empowered about their careers during a time that can be overwhelming and challenging – not only for our clients and users who go through Parentaly’s programs, but also with our advocacy work on LinkedIn, through our podcast and other big campaigns that make a difference. It’s been pretty rewarding to build a brand people know and love because what we’re doing resonates with so many employees’ experiences in the workforce.
Jenna Vassallo, Head of Brand & Marketing
I am so proud of the way we've approached growth with such care and intentionality - with every adjustment we've made to our offerings, we've never lost sight of our goal to provide the most supportive and valuable experience for our users. I love looking back on the early stages of conversations and building that have led us to the experience we offer today. Personally, I am extremely proud of the work I've done to scale and automate our backend!
Rachel Andes, Program Associate
I am most proud of the work we do every single day to make a positive impact on working parents! Everyday I get to work with an amazing group of people…we work hard but we also have fun.
Sarah Gruber, Client Partner
I'm proud of scaling an employee experience that consistently delivers positive outcomes for new parents and their organizations. Our north star has always been the user, and we never sacrifice our high quality bar!
Mansi Kothari, VP of Product & Experience
I feel a sense of pride that I get to work behind the scenes supporting everyone. I’m proud to see all of the collaboration between the team and how Parentaly positively impacts employees.
Leo Manalo, Executive Assistant
I'm most proud of going through the Parentaly program myself! I'm so proud to work for and promote this company in a time where parental leave and supportive policies are at the forefront of a national conversation. But beyond this, I'm most proud to call myself a participant.
Emmy Carragher, Enterprise Partnerships
I’m really proud of the work I did to expand our coaching bench globally at Parentaly. It was so rewarding, not to mention insightful, to connect with talented coaches from around the globe. This expansion not only enriched our coaching offerings but also strengthened our commitment to making a meaningful impact on families all over the world.
I have tremendous pride in the knowledge that what I am doing will change the career landscape for new parents, particularly mothers. This will make it more likely that my daughter can have a career AND a family without worrying about the unintentional negative impact of taking parental leave. Nothing makes me prouder than that.
Mindy Himmel-Brown, Strategic Partnerships
In my short time at Parentaly, I'm proudest of the work we're doing with our clients' ERG groups to elevate the stories and advice of actual working parents. It's such an impactful way to spread the word about Parentaly as an essential resource for all people growing their families, and the managers who support them!
Alex Diskin, Enterprise Account Manager
I'm most proud about using LinkedIn to connect with others. I was recently able to share a helpful return to work doc with 50+ new people looking to make a difference at their company. Was pretty cool that people from Chewy, McDonald's, Honda, Cisco, AWS, Walmart and more want to integrate just a piece of what we have to offer. Also...I'm so proud of the way I feel as an employee at Parentaly. For the first time in my career my personal interests align with my professional interests and I've never felt more motivated.
Jenny Hurwitz, Strategic Partnerships
I'm really proud of being able to help the Experience team by handling the supportive functions so they can focus on the bigger picture. It feels great to know that I’m making things easier for them and contributing to the team’s success.
James Mango, Executive Assistant
Tagged
HR & policy
Podcast recap
Want to hear from one parent about her adoption journey & how her employer made it a positive experience?
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