Any company seeking to retain its competitive edge today has to recruit top talent, and recruiting top talent requires imaginative HR policies that cater to the needs of a company's employees. Family friendly policies, diversity friendly policies, sexual orientation-friendly policies, you name it, I thought I'd heard it all. But that was before I espied this morning's Capital One press release touting its adoption friendly workplace.

It appears that the company has been recognized as one of the Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces in America by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.

"At Capital One, we recognize that families are formed in many ways," says Matt Schuyler, chief HR officer. "We strive to support associates and their families at some of the most critical points of change, in particular, as they grow - through birth, adoption and foster placement - so that they can truly honor this important time in their lives and bond with their new family member."

Capital One was recognized for a variety of innovative programs and policies regarding adoption, including its Adoption Reimbursement and Parental Leave Programs and its innovative online support programs. According to Rita Soronen with the Dave Thomas Foundation for adoption, more than 50 organizations nationwide established or enhanced their adoption benefits for 2008. Employers who made the list offered more robust adoption benefits packages this year. Read more.

Bacon's bottom line: One reason that Capital One has been so successful has been its ability to recruit incredibly talented employees from around the country, both to its operations center in Richmond -- a location not exactly world renowned for being socially progressive -- and to its other locations. The company sets the bar pretty high, and other companies would be well advised to pay close attention. When it comes to HR, Cap One is two steps ahead.