Working With Kids

Seeking Insurance Company Contacts for Baby Policy

One of the primary concerns we hear from companies that are otherwise open to starting a babies-at-work program is the issue of potential liability.  Although the risks of problems are very low, we encourage companies to have parents sign detailed legal waiver forms before they start bringing a baby to work--just to cover the bases. 

We're currently thinking of taking this one step further.  Given that babies-at-work programs reduce stress and increase breastfeeding feasibility (both of which would reduce health care costs), we're thinking that it might be greatly beneficial for an insurance company to more actively support these programs by setting up a direct policy or rider that would cover babies-at-work programs.  Based on the low risks of problems in these programs (since parents are responsible for the babies' care and since the babies normally only come to work until they're crawling), I think that such a policy would probably be relatively inexpensive for each company--and having one available is likely to greatly increase adoption of these programs.

If you have a contact at a business or health insurance company that you would be willing to share with me, I would greatly appreciate it!  Feel free to email me or call the Institute--(801) 897-8702.

Christian Science Monitor Article

There's an article in the September 15, 2008, edition of the Christian Science Monitor about babies in the workplace that extensively references our Institute.

State-by-State Listing of Baby-Friendly Companies

Just added a state-by-state listing of companies that allow babies at work to our Babies in the Workplace site.  We receive a lot of emails and calls asking about specific cities or areas of this country, so we thought this would be useful.  Suggestions of other helpful additions to the site are welcome.

U.S. News and World Report Article Mentions the Institute

I was just notified (I love Google Alerts) of a U.S. News and World Report article today about Sarah Palin that references our Parenting in the Workplace Institute's work on babies in the workplace. 

New Babies-at-Work Website

By the way, we recently went live with a completely new Babies in the Workplace website--it's much more accessible than the old one.  The baby-friendly company list is now all on one page, and the descriptive content is all new and a lot more focused.

Sarah Palin Isn't Alone in Bringing Babies to Work

Today's New York Times has a front-page article discussing Sarah Palin's combination of political career and motherhood, describing how she regularly carried her son Trig in a sling to hearings and nursed him while signing bills and performing other official tasks.  Palin is hardly the first government official to bring her babies to work, though--the Democratic Governer of Kansas, Kathleen Sebelius, who was reportedly on the short list for Barack Obama’s running mate, took her two infant sons to the office earlier in her career.  Governor Sebelius was actually responsible for starting a babies-at-work program in a Kansas agency that has now been adopted by more than 20 other agencies.  

This variation on integrating work and family has drawn heated discussion in recent days, particularly related to how bringing a baby to work isn't an option available to most Americans. But the Parenting in the Workplace Institute is working to change that. The Institute is launching a "pilot program" initiative to actively start more formal programs in which parents can bring their babies to work every day for approximately the first six months of life (or until crawling, whichever comes first). The first company we helped to set up a structured program, HometownQuotes, has been thrilled with the results--see their press release and the first article discussing their program (more media coverage is expected in the coming days).

The Institute's work is based on the experiences of more than 102 confirmed organizations that welcome babies in the workplace. More than 1,300 babies have successfully come to work with their parents in these businesses. Companies in more than 30 states and encompassing more than 20 different types of businesses have reaped huge benefits from offering parents this option. The fact is, when babies-at-work programs are set up just like any other business policy, they work--and they are enthusiastically supported by managers and coworkers (even many who were initially very skeptical of the concept).

The Institute has already enlisted two other companies to start baby programs in conjunction with our initiative and we are currently seeking many more large or small organizations. We will provide everything--for free--that a company will need to set up a successful babies-at-work program, including copies of my recently completed books and an award-winning lactation support program through LifeCare for the first 50 mothers that participate in a pilot program.

If you wish to help us to transform the integration of work and family and increase the options available for parents and babies, please consider donating to our efforts. We welcome referrals to companies that might wish to participate in the pilot or individuals that wish our assistance in proposing a program (the Institute phone number is (801) 897-8702). Regular updates on our efforts will be posted on this blog.

Babies-at-Work Pilot (Seeking More Companies)

The Parenting in the Workplace Institute is currently rolling out an initiative in which we are providing direct assistance to organizations in setting up "pilot" baby programs.  Below is the summary of our pilot program plan (meant to be read by management in companies).  We already have two small companies planning to participate in this initiative but welcome new participants (large or small). 

In order to really take this initiative to a large scale, I need to have the time to dedicate to recruiting participant companies and actively working with each of them to set up sustainable programs.  I currently work full-time as a legal secretary to support my two daughters (I'm divorced) and can only afford to take time off work for this initiative if I receive donations to support my parenting-at-work efforts.  If you want to support my efforts to actualize the tremendous potential of babies-at-work programs to help families and businesses and transform the integration of work and family, please donate using the widget on the sidebar.  If you know a business that might be interested in participating, please feel free to direct them to this link or to our new Babies in the Workplace website.  I can be contacted at (801) 897-8702 or carla @ babiesatwork.org.
----------------------------------
Our efforts in setting up pilot programs will be free for participating organizations.  We anticipate that each company will reap substantial benefits from participation regardless of whether they continue the program for the long term.  However, baby programs have been consistently successful in every organization that has set up a formal, structured program, including law firms, management consulting firms (such as The Ken Blanchard Companies), credit unions, public relations firms, government agencies, and retail stores.

Overview, Successes, and Benefits of Participation

The Parenting in the Workplace Institute is currently focused on workplace programs in which employees can bring their babies to work (generally until around six months of age or when the babies start to crawl, whichever comes first) and care for them at the same time that they do their jobs.  We have compiled data from more than 100 organizations around the country--spanning more than 30 different states and more than 20 different fields--that have ongoing baby programs.  More than 1,300 babies have successfully come to work in these organizations, which range from three to 3,000 employees.  These businesses have discovered that babies in the workplace tend (for a number of reasons) to be extremely content.  When these baby programs are established with clear guidelines, they are highly effective and provide numerous benefits for businesses, including:

1.  Enabling new parents to return to work earlier (if they so choose).
2.  Lowering costs for temporary workers or overtime during extended maternity leaves.
3.  Improving morale.
4.  Lowering turnover.
5.  Enhancing teamwork and collaboration.
6.  Recruiting new employees.
7.  Attracting new clients.
8.  Inspiring increased loyalty among existing clients.

Logistics and Pilot Program "Take-Aways" for Company and Employees

We will provide the following to each company in conjunction with this pilot (at no charge):

1.  A detailed baby program policy and legal waiver forms for participants.  We will help you to customize this policy to your particular corporate culture.

2.  Free copies of our books about babies-at-work programs for participating parents and for management to enhance the effectiveness and benefits of the program.

3.  Template explanatory documents for disseminating information about the program to personnel and assistance in promoting the program to the public and the media (if you wish).

4.  The first several mothers to participate in the pilot will receive a high-end lactation program provided by LifeCare.  LifeCare is a major provider of human resources work and family benefits, serving nearly 1,500 client companies.  They are partnering with us and are donating their Mothers at Work lactation support program to 50 total parents across companies that participate in pilot programs.  Mothers at Work has been offered through LifeCare since 1998 (involving a partnership with Medela, a manufacturer of high-quality breast pumps), has won several awards, and has been highly successful.   A document summarizing their program is available upon request. 

5.  Direct, ongoing telephone and email assistance for management and participating parents to assist with program-related questions.

Media Potential

We plan to utilize all of our existing media contacts as well as to distribute press releases and propose segments to other major media outlets to maximize the impact of the launch of each new baby program (as each company wishes).

Given the major societal problems that are significantly alleviated by baby programs and the media's demonstrated interest in the Institute's work, we believe that the launch and progress of this initiative are likely to draw nationwide (and potentially worldwide) attention.

We believe that each company will be able to procure extensive positive media coverage at the inception of a pilot and on an ongoing basis.  In the past eight months, our Institute's work on babies-at-work programs has been discussed in several national and international outlets, including Time Magazine, People Magazine, the Boston Globe, USA Today, the Today Show, NBC Nightly News, and Fantástico, a popular Brazilian television program.  We have also participated in numerous radio interviews (including Ireland Public Radio and the BBC) and our work was referenced in a recent article in a major Australian newspaper (as well as in articles in Hungary, Denmark, India, South Africa, and Canada).  The media is particularly interested in this concept in light of the growing number of companies that have successfully adopted programs in recent years.

Publicity regarding each company's participation in a pilot is not a requirement for taking part.  However, the publicity to date has been overwhelmingly positive and we anticipate that companies who participate in media pieces are likely to receive extensive support from the media and from the public.  If you do not wish to publicize your participation, we will still be happy to assist you in setting up a program; however, the LifeCare aspect of the pilot is available only to companies that are willing to allow publicity.

Progression of Program Support and Future Prospects

Although there is often skepticism prior to implementation of baby programs, numerous executives, coworkers, and parents have been "converted" to being enthusiastic supporters of these programs once they see how well structured programs work in practice.  A key component of the Institute's public and media outreach is our focus on ensuring that the work environment is not disrupted by the babies' presence.  We are also dedicated to providing education and resources for parents regarding nurturing methods of baby care that result in babies being highly content and thriving in an office environment.

A representative quote from an executive is below:

"The first time the baby program was proposed at UNCLE Credit Union at the executive level, I said no.  I didn't want babies on the teller line because of the coins and other issues.  But, the second time the topic came up, proponents of the idea convinced me, and now I am one of the biggest supporters of it.  Other companies have had hesitation in deciding to start a program.  I'm the best one to talk to; my advice is to try it out.  If it doesn't work, you can always take it away.  But the benefits of the program far outweigh the negatives."
Wendy Zanotelli, COO of UNCLE Credit Union (19 babies so far)

Numerous child development experts and work/life balance organizations are supporters of our work and are eager to publicize the progress of our initiative.  In the future, we anticipate coordinating formal studies to assess various aspects of baby programs; two Harvard professors will be designing and implementing these studies, and we have interest from the National Institutes of Health in funding this work.

Implementation of Program Entails Minimal Investment for Large Returns

If you participate in a pilot, setting up the program will require minimal time and effort on your company's part since we will be providing you with best practices documentation and information.  If you were to decide to continue the program long term, there will be very low ongoing costs or liability issues because the babies will not yet be mobile, they will primarily stay in their parents' work areas, and your company will not be taking on any responsibility for the babies' care.  The only direct cost for your company (aside from potentially installing diaper changing tables and/or designating an area for nursing mothers to go, if desired) would be any human resources time needed to discuss specific logistical plans with each new parent prior to each baby's birth.  However, this time will be offset by the time otherwise needed to coordinate coverage of a parent's workload during an extended maternity leave.  In addition, the resources provided by the Institute will substantially expedite this planning. 

If you wish to see a copy of the People Magazine article (it is not currently available online), our fact sheet about baby programs, or our template baby program policy, please let me know and I will be happy to email them to you (the fact sheet and policy can also be directly downloaded from our Institute website.  Several of the media pieces can be viewed online in the Media Links section of our Babies in the Workplace website.

We recently helped a Tennessee company (HometownQuotes--they provide insurance quotes to consumers) to implement a baby program.  They have been extremely happy with the results and are currently actively promoting their success to the media.  Their press release (which includes pictures) is on their website.

For more information, please call Carla Moquin of the Parenting in the Workplace Institute at (801) 897-8702.