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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