Contact Information: Contact: Rita Soronen Executive Director Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption (614) 764-8482 Email Contact Michelle Moore Paul Werth Associates Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 224-8114 Email Contact
DUBLIN, OH -- (MARKET WIRE) -- May 10, 2007 -- Having a child was her lifelong dream. In fact,
it was a quest. But, due to reproductive complications over the years,
Christine Gergle knew she'd need to adopt to achieve it. And, when she and
her husband, Ken, did adopt, Christine had the support of her employer, SAS
Institute, behind her. SAS Institute, # 70 on the just-released Best
Adoption-Friendly Workplaces in America list, reimbursed $5,000 of the
couple's adoption expenses and gave her four weeks of paid time off to bond
with Lily.
Companies like SAS enabling families to come together are more common today
than ever before. To honor such companies, the Dave Thomas Foundation for
Adoption released the results of the first national list of its kind ever,
the Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces in America list -- a compilation of
100 organizations. It includes big companies, like JPMorgan Chase and Avon,
but it also includes smaller companies blazing the trail in adoption
benefits.
The survey shows times are changing, and increasingly, American companies
are offering adoption benefits. In 1990, 12% of companies surveyed offered
adoption benefits. By 2006, that percentage increased to 45. Why does the
SAS Institute provide adoption benefits? Because they are important to
employees -- a 2002 Harris Interactive, Inc. national attitude survey
showed that 95% of all Americans believe companies should offer adoption
benefits. Christine Gergle agrees. She is grateful for the adoption
benefits available through SAS because they not only provided some
financial relief, but also helped her and her husband focus on the most
miraculous part of life ... having a child.
About the Top 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces in America List
The list was composed after CEOs and human resource executives from 762
U.S. companies participated in either a direct mail or online survey.
Employers were ranked based on their adoption benefits, such as the amount
of financial reimbursement and paid leave available to employees who adopt.
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption commissioned Harris Interactive
Inc., a worldwide research firm, to conduct a national attitude survey
about adoption benefits. Harris reported 95% of Americans believe companies
should offer adoption benefits, but only a small percentage of people
actually use them (National Adoption Attitudes Survey, June 2002). The
Foundation's data indicates utilization rates are generally less than
one-half of one percent of the company's employee population.
