Breastfeeding, childcare, & work environments.

[starkyld]

I could actually really use feedback on this today if at all possible. Guys too, please.

Poll Lactavism.

If you have any suggestions on how organizations (yours or in general) could be more parent/kid-friendly, please comment.

Comments

[lights_out]

i would like to make some qualifications. Our office is extremely cramped, and we have no where to expand. We have already squeezed too many people into the space available, so having a room dedicated to nursing, especially while there are no women currently nursing, would not work well. There are, however, several private offices and a small conference room. The office occupants are nice and the conference room is used frequently, but quickly, so if a woman needed to pump, she would be welcome to use these options. (i probably should have clicked "yes - informal")

I don't currently receive benefits, so I am not SURE about #3, but i don't recall childcare benefits when i looked through the package

[starkyld]

Thanks for clarifying. Space/demand/irrelevancy are important considerations to keep in mind.

[morbid_o]

Clarification:
Our management is pretty flexible. We occasionally have kids in the office. I have never seen someone breast-feeding here, but we have a number of spaces that could accommodate it; perhaps they are used. Lots of people with little ones work from home. Cuirrently half of my group is out with kids.

[starkyld]

Telecommuting + new parenthood = the win.

[nightgarden]

We have a "lactation room" up in the HR district. People rarely bring kids to work--sometimes folks who have had babies will bring them in for their coworkers to meet, but it's never an all-day thing. Exceptions: Our receptionist has brought her middle-school-aged daughter in a few times when school and work schedules have coincided badly; she sits in the lobby and reads. Oh, and Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day every year.

I don't know whether GiantBookCo. directly funds childcare. I would tend to doubt it, but I don't know for sure. You can have pretax $ taken out for it, a la the healthcare flexible spending account.

Have you seen this?

[rockstarbob]

Found it in breastfeeding a while back.

The US Department of Health and Human Services has 3 booklets available:

The Business Case for Breastfeeding. Steps to Creating a Breastfeeding Friendly Worksite: Employees' Guide to Breastfeeding and Working

The Business Case for Breastfeeding. Steps for Creating a Breastfeeding Friendly Worksite: For Business Managers

The Business Case for Breastfeeding. Steps for Creating a Breastfeeding Friendly Worksite: Easy Steps to Supporting Breastfeeding Employees

These are all completely free to anyone who wants them. You can order up to 10 copies of each, and have them mailed to you (or your company) for no charge. I ordered 3 copies of each (one for myself, one for each of my health pros) and received them in just a few days.

Re: Have you seen this?

[starkyld]

That looks great, but I actually need info tonight (it's for my job application process). Is there any way you could give me the cliff's notes on the 3rd one?

Re: Have you seen this?

[rockstarbob]

Unfortunately, I can't. I haven't read them over myself (didn't see the need at the time) and am over my head with unpacking. :( You don't have time to check out the sites?

Re: Have you seen this?

[starkyld]

Didn't mean to impose. Clicked the link from my blackberry & it only looked like it had the ordering info; will check again when I get home.

Thanks for the suggestion & congrats on the move!

[chilimuffin]

our in-house blurb on childcare at the UW Hospital. It's near-site, but that near-site is within walking distance from the hospital. And I know that actual floor-staff can never bring their kids in (because, well, it's a hospital), but there're exceptions for administrative staff.

The only thing I'd like to see is more integration with the childcare at the Waisman center across the street, which has very varied childcare program, catering to a mix of children, about 30% of whom have developmental disabilities such as autism. I have a friend who purposely put her daughter there to teach her compassion at an early age, and I think it would be good to do more of that.

[gollumgollum]

Most of my clarifications are above - it's hard to bring kids to work with you when you work on a hospital floor. That said, there are people who bring their kids with them to the hospital if they stop in to fill out a schedule, or when their childcare provider (in our specific cases, ex-husbands) needs to meet them at the hospital to pick up/drop off the kids at the beginning/end of a shift. There are also some space issues, but the available pumping room (an office) is secluded and private.