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Workplace Breastfeeding Programs Common Among “100 Best Companies for Working Mothers”

For companies wishing to be recognized for their support of working mothers, the message was clear: consider implementing a workplace breastfeeding program. During her keynote presentation at a LifeCare-sponsored workplace breastfeeding forum in New York in September, Carol Evans, CEO of Working Mother Media, told attendees that 99 percent of Working Mother magazine’s “100 Best Companies for Working Mothers” have a workplace lactation program, compared to 19 percent of all companies nationwide. (Working Mother annually recognizes companies that offer best-in-class work-life benefits for working mothers via its “100 Best” list.)

Evans was joined by Minna Elias, New York Chief of Staff for Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney, and Carol Ann Friedman, Director of LifeCare’s Mothers at Work^® program. The three came together to educate and enlighten New York area employers on issues surrounding workplace breastfeeding and the benefits it offers.

Evans told attendees that companies with workplace breastfeeding programs and other work-life programs “are way ahead of others in terms of meeting the needs of today’s working mother.” This can be an extremely important advantage in a company’s recruitment and retention efforts, especially since women with children represent one of the fastest growing segments of the American workforce.

Elias discussed advances on the federal level, including legislation passed by Congresswoman Maloney to ensure a woman’s right to breastfeed her child on federal property. She also described Maloney’s pending bill, the Breastfeeding Promotion Act (HR 285), which amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to protect breastfeeding, enacts performance standards for breast pumps, provides tax incentives for businesses that establish private lactation areas in the workplace, and allows breastfeeding equipment to be tax deductible for families.

Friedman reported on the health benefits of breastfeeding, the significant amount of money companies with lactation programs save, and elements of successful workplace breastfeeding programs.

Several states—including California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington—have enacted workplace breastfeeding laws. Several others—including Indiana, Kentucky, New York, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin—have pending legislation.