Easy Steps to Supporting Breastfeeding Employees

Sneak Preview – Section 3

Learning objective: List the four components of a successful worksite lactation support program targeting male and female employees.

Topics: Program implementation options

Resources from The Business Case for Breastfeeding: Folder #2: “Easy Steps to Supporting Breastfeeding

Employees” Folder #3: “Tool Kit” Folder #5: “Outreach Marketing Guide”

Components of a Lactation Support Program

Where to House the Program

Human Resources Department Employee benefits division Fits well as part of employee health benefit platform

Other options: work/life, benefits, health/wellness/fitness, employee relations

Model Health Benefit Plan (National Business Group on Health)

www.businessgrouphealth.org

Getting Started

Convene a task force of stakeholders Conduct a needs assessment

How many women and men will benefit? What options do employees have/need? What department will provide oversight? What policies are needed? What documentation will be required?

Identify community resources

See “Resource Guide” in Folder #3, “Tool Kit” CD-ROM

Building the Team

Company Stakeholders HR, work-life, employee

relations staff Wellness division staff Medical staff Facilities management Public relations Supervisors Current and previous

breastfeeding employees Male and female co-

workers

Community Stakeholders Local breastfeeding

coalition Lactation consultants Healthy Start staff WIC program staff Health care providers La Leche League Leaders

Lactation Program Components

Focus on OPTIONS Folder #2, “Easy Steps,” focuses on Good/Better/Best

options for all 4 components

Tailor to unique needs of the business

A comprehensive program brings about best ROI; but meet employers where they are and help them build

Options for Managerial Support

Top-level support company leaders/workers Rationale for a lactation program Expectations of support Eliminating inappropriate jokes, comments

Training for supervisors

See Folder #3, “Tool Kit” CD-ROM and Folder #5, “Outreach Resources” for useful templates

Options for Managerial Support

While lactation support policies are important, many companies are not prepared to institutionalize formal policies at first

Options for lactation support policies Integrating it with other employee health benefits

policies Including it in personnel policies Addressing inappropriate comments in sexual

harassment policies Integrating into existing gender bias laws

See Folder #3, “Tool Kit” CD-ROM

Options for Mother-to-Mother Support

Monthly lunchtime support group meetings Other regularly scheduled meetings Bulletin boards in lactation rooms Electronic discussion forum on Web site Shared journal

See Folder #3, “Tool Kit” CD-ROM for sample promotional items

Options for Maternity Leave

Women need 6 weeks minimum for recovery; 16 weeks is optimal (Galtry 97)

Adequate leave could increase breastfeeding enough to prevent 0.6 to 1.0 post neonatal deaths per 1,000 births (Ruhm 2000)

Of 170 countries, only 4 do not offer paid maternity leave (U.S., Liberia, Papua New Guinea, Swaziland) (Heymann 2007)

Country Leave Policy

Sweden15 months paid leave + 3 months unpaid leave

Canada 6 months @ 55%

U.K.18 weeks @ 90% the first 6 weeks and then flat rate

Germany14 weeks @ 100% + 2 years paid at a flat rate

Italy5 months @ 80% + 6 months @ 30%

France16 weeks @100% + additional unpaid leave

Options for Maternity Leave: Federal Level

Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Eligibility criteria

Workplace with more than 50 employees Employment > 24 hours/week Continuous employment at that company for at least 1

year(Galtry 97)

Senate Bill #S1681 – “Family Leave Insurance Act” (Dodd D-CT)

House Bill HR626 – paid leave for federal employees (Maloney-NY)

HR 2236 – “Breastfeeding Promotion Act” (Maloney D-NY)

Options for Maternity Leave: State Level

Temporary Disability Insurance Program (TDIP) Partial wage replacement (around 50%) Eligible States: California, Hawaii, New Jersey,

New York, Rhode Island, and Puerto Rico

“California Paid Family Leave Program” provides 6 more weeks of partial wage replacement beyond TDIP

Washington provides 5 weeks of paid leave New Jersey paid leave program

Options for Maternity Leave: Company Level

Paid family leave: 33% of U.S. companies offer paid family leave options,

and 21% offer leave beyond Federal FMLA and state options

Large companies more likely to offer paid leave or leave beyond FMLA (37% vs. 14%) (SHRM 2007)

Bring baby to work: 43% of small companies allow women to bring infants

to work in emergencies (SHRM 2007)

Examples: Patagonia, Arizona Department of Health On-site child care

Options for Flexible Break Time

Why breastfeeding women need flexible time Milk production is an ongoing process Frequent breast drainage keeps mothers comfortable

and stabilizes milk production

2-3 milk expression sessions needed during a typical 8-hour work period (Slusser 2004)

Options for Flexible Break Time

Employers like to know milk expression is temporary As babies begin solid foods the number of sessions

often declines Most women have discontinued expression by 12-15

months Lunch and routine breaks are usually adequate.

Options if more time is needed: Consider extra time paid leave Take unpaid leave Come in early or stay later Continue working while expressing milk

Program Options

Contract with an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) for one-on-one consults

Provide onsite classes and support group meetings for parents (both male and female)

Provide educational materials to mothers Make referrals to physicians, IBCLCs, WIC, La

Leche League, and other health care professionals

See “Resource Guide” in Folder #3 for options for qualified lactation educators

Options for Classes

Prenatal classes Getting a good start with

breastfeeding Preventing and managing

concerns Building and sustaining

milk production Expressing, storing, and

handling human milk

See Folder #5, “Outreach Resources”

CD-ROM for sample lesson plans

Back to work classes and consultations Options for combining

breastfeeding and work Preparing baby for separation Setting a milk expression

schedule Educating supervisors and

co-workers

Options for class instructors IBCLCs Medical staff at the business WIC staff La Leche League Leaders Other lactation experts in the

community

Options for Professional Support

Contract with an IBCLC or lactation expert for: Prenatal assessments Postpartum assistance during maternity leave Back to work consultations

Provide names of IBCLCs and lactation experts in the community

How to access an IBCLC Local hospital or private practice ILCA – www.ilca.org

“Find a Lactation Consultant” Directory Directory of IBCLCs Providing Workplace Lactation

Support

Options for a Designated Lactation Room

Traditional offices Private office Office of a co-worker Conference room

Establish designated space Size can be as small as 4’ x 5’ Easily accessible Convert closet or small storage space Build walls in larger rooms or lounges Partitions, screens, curtains Dressing room

Include in future building renovations

Number of Rooms Needed

Factors in determining number of rooms: Types of work spaces Physical size of the company (and number of

buildings) Numbers of women of childbearing age

Options for Non-Office Settings

Jobs requiring travel Environments with little privacy Expressing milk in non-office settings

Options for Milk Expression

Hand expression Breast pump

Purchase or rent a hospital-grade quality multi-user electric breast pump; provide, subsidize, or sell attachment kits

Provide or subsidize the cost of a single-user portable electric breast pump

Ask mothers to make their own arrangements for equipment

Options for Storing Milk

Standard employee refrigerator OSHA regulations state breast milk is not

“occupational exposure” Provide a small refrigerator in or near the

lactation room Provide a portable electric breast pump

packaged with cooler compartment Ask employees to provide their own coolers

Promoting the Program Promotion increases awareness, usage and better

ROI Promotion ideas:

Ribbon-cutting event Coordinate with World Breastfeeding Week (Aug.1-7) Annual promotion during World Breastfeeding Week Employee paycheck stuffers Include information in new employee orientation Posters and fliers Employee newsletters Table tents in lounge and cafeteria areas Employee health fairs and wellness events

See Folder #3, “Tool Kit” CD-ROM for reproducible promotional items

Collecting Feedback and Evaluation the Program’s ROI

Encourage employers to: Keep usage logs Track # of class attendees, Web site usage, and IBCLC

consults Collect data on:

absenteeism and turnover rates employee satisfaction with the company disability costs health care costs breastfeeding duration

See Folder #3, “Tool Kit” CD-ROM for feedback and assessment forms

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