(CBC)

David Downie loves being dad to his daughter Adele. "Life couldn't be better," says the 37-year-old Toronto accountant, as he fondly talks of the baby girl he adopted from an orphanage in China's Guangdong province.

After years of waiting, clearing legal hurdles, and spending thousands in adoption fees, Downie brought the 10-month-old Adele to her new Toronto home last summer. Downie says he's glad the emotional stress of the adoption process is over — and there's no lingering financial stress, either.

Luckily for Downie, his employer — accounting firm KPMG — picked up his entire financial tab. The firm reimburses up to $20,000 in adoption expenses as a benefit for employees, and also provides four weeks of paid leave.

KPMG isn't the only company doling out these types of perks. Seven per cent of Canadian companies provide adoption benefits, a number expected to double in the next three to five years, says Tim Clarke, benefits manager at Hewitt Associates.

The impending retirement of baby boomers, shortage of skilled labour, and the challenges of dealing with an increasingly diverse workforce are prompting corporations to adopt innovative strategies to keep key people happy, says Clarke.

Beth Wilson, KPMG's chief human resources officer, agrees: "Our marketplace is very competitive in terms of the individuals we are trying to recruit and retain. Hence providing very competitive programs that give us an edge are important."

Taking family life into account

KPMG competitor PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) has a similar program. It provides adoption benefits of up to $10,000 per adopted child and one month of paid leave.

Chris Hatley, senior director, human capital at PWC, says this approach to workplace and family life earned the firm an Adoption in Action award by the Adoptive Families Association of B.C. For instance, employees who take unpaid family leave of absence (for a year), can still obtain benefits such as medical, dental, disability and life insurance. Pension and savings plans, vacations, and cellphone use are also available during that period.

New parent kits, adoption checklists, counselling, emergency childcare and access to full- and part-time childcare also provide additional support to employees.

"Globally, as in Canada, Generation X is looking for more work-life balance benefits," says Mike Paolucci, vice-president of global human resources at EDS Global Communications. "And adoption benefits are just one of a slew of perks that companies are providing their employees."

Paolucci, who oversees HR programs for 120,000 employees in 60 countries, including 4,500 in Canada, says many young employees ask for flex-time, or paid time off to accomplish personal goals.

Worldwide trend

Leaves of absence for compassionate care, extended vacations and sabbaticals all are now part of a growing work culture that is a worldwide phenomenon, says Paolucci.

"The 'global village,' means that people around the world now have similar aspirations, leading to an increase in such benefits, and a convergence of a common set of compensation policies worldwide," says Paolucci.

A perfect example, he says, is India. "Today employees in India want stock options, much like their counterparts in the U.S. or Canada, while EDS employees in North America would know what's happening in their Indian offices."

Experts say there's a move to streamline policies, but also an increase of diversity in the workforce, and companies will have to cater their programs to various cultural requirements. Sometimes small things make a big difference, say HR experts. For instance, at a company barbecue, employers could make sure there are vegetarian hot dogs or burgers for employees who won't eat meat, fish or even eggs due to religious reasons.

Or it could be as simple as giving employees from ethnic groups a paid leave on their new year's day, which may fall on a different date according to their calendar.

Companies such as EDS conduct focus groups to understand what employees need and where the company should be putting its dollars, says Paolucci.

The options vary from country to country: Canadian and U.S. employees can make use of a concierge service, assisting them to plan parties or go to movies and restaurants; employees in U.K. have a wine club; in Brazil, it's yoga classes, and in Belgium, a bicycle club. Chinese employees have a ping pong table set up in the office for recreational facilities, and in India, social functions important to employees are organized by the company.

Health and welfare

Companies are also promoting many programs that tie in with the new buzzword — wellness — which stresses physical, emotional and mental fitness.

Companies such as PWC have an online survey tool called WS Compass Point that helps pinpoint employees' stress profiles to manage their stress more effectively. Employees or family members can also refer to a library of articles, tip sheets and books to deal with stress, says PWC's Hatley.

Although the efficacy of these programs is hard to measure, companies say high retention levels of employees are usually a good indicator of workplace satisfaction.

"We spend millions of dollars on these programs and the payoff is good. While these [benefits] aren't the primary reason [for staying], it's a strong secondary one," said EDS's Paolucci.

KPMG's Wilson can testify to that. "We hire on campuses, and while many potential employees haven't started families as yet, they are looking longer term — trying to assess the firm in terms of how much they are going to support them on the personal front, and we find they do quite a few comparisons [with other firms] on that front."

Downie says he certainly made that assessment when he joined KPMG several years ago. "I'm glad that I did. I've no intention to leave any time soon."

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