©iStockphoto.com/btrenkel

Company WEU has 20 employees. Ten or more are women. BWEU provides no maternity benefits, no flexible work schedules, no onsite childcare, and no lactation rooms. Despite women supplying more than 50% of the U.S. workforce, gaining accommodation in the workplace for those things uniquely woman such as pregnancy and breastfeeding is difficult at best, impossible at worst.

Many employers recognize that breast milk is the best source of infant nutrition. It promotes optimal growth and development, protects babies against diarrhea, respiratory infections, allergies and diabetes, and reduces mothers’ risk for ovarian cancer and premenopausal breast cancer, yet few employers  have a policy for breastfeeding in the workplace and even fewer provide actual breastfeeding support.

Enter CARE.

Through its work around the world, CARE promotes breastfeeding as a health-giving, life-saving strategy. Now CARE USA is demonstrating its support for breastfeeding right here at home by providing a workplace environment and an organizational culture that truly reflects the values espoused by CARE.

Baby gooroo is pleased to share with permission, CARE’s newly released Breastfeeding in the Workplace policy. The policy is currently in place for CARE’s US-based offices, but future plans call for expanding the policy to CARE offices worldwide. Read on. (You’ll wish you worked for CARE!)

Breastfeeding in the workplace
CARE USA provides a workplace environment and organizational culture that supports breastfeeding in order to enable the mother and child to experience the full benefits of breastfeeding:

• Flexible and adaptive scheduling—subject to the needs of your department, your manager can work with you to develop a schedule that eases the transition back from parental leave, whether that includes flexible or reduced working hours, telecommuting options, or time off to meet infants’ health care needs

• Lactation time and space—for offices of at least 50 employees, CARE USA seeks to promote clean, comfortable, and private lactation rooms or spaces that  are convenient for expressing or pumping breast milk or nursing (including access to a refrigerator, sink, and microwave).  When it is not possible to provide a dedicated room, particularly in smaller offices, privacy accommodations will be made for employees in cubicles or other non-private spaces (i.e. empty offices, conference room, etc.)

CARE USA allows and encourages breastfeeding employees to take breaks to express breast milk, recognizing that a woman who is separated from her infant needs to express her milk at least three times within an 8-hour work day. CARE USA considers these breaks part of the normal, paid workday and will not require employees to make up this time.

Infants in the workplace
Employees may also bring infants under six months of age to the workplace in order to breastfeed, while maintaining a conducive work environment that is not disruptive to others and does not compromise other aspects of quality care for the infant. Staff with private offices may keep their children in their office. Where possible, accommodation will be made for individuals who work in cubicles to have a private space for this time period.

Travel
If a breastfeeding employee chooses or is required to travel, CARE USA will not cover any charges associated with the infant, and it will be the responsibility of the employee to ensure that infant care is provided during work hours. CARE USA will also respect a breastfeeding employee’s wish to limit her travel by using creative teamwork to reduce the need for her to be separated from her baby during the breastfeeding period.

Mutual responsibility
It is the responsibility of both the manager and the employee to ensure an environment that promotes breastfeeding while also meeting organizational needs. For any of the above options, an agreement must be signed ahead of time by both the employee and the manager to set mutual expectations, and will include the following:

• Nature of accommodation

• What and how work will get done

• Length of time the agreement will be in place

• Expected behaviors (example—employee will ensure that the accommodation is not disruptive to others, manager will respect and ensure privacy during breastfeeding)

Support
CARE’s work around the world promotes optimal breastfeeding practices to support families’ efforts to improve their food, health, and household livelihood security.  As a result, there are CARE employees who are experts in lactation who are happy to support the promotion of breastfeeding among CARE’s staff. In addition, La Leche League International (www.llli.org) is an organization that strives to help mothers worldwide to breastfeed through mother-to-mother support, encouragement, information, and education, and to promote a better understanding of breastfeeding as an important element in the healthy development of the baby and mother. Resources are available in English, Spanish, French, and Arabic, and services include online as well as personal support.

CARE USA will not tolerate discrimination against pregnant and breastfeeding employees. Reports of such behavior will be investigated and offending parties disciplined if discriminatory behavior is confirmed.

Kudos to CARE for showing that it cares!