Breastfeeding‐friendly workplace:are employers ready?

Abstract

Currently over 50% of mothers with infants are in the labor force in the U.S. The recent Health Care Reform Bill requires employers to provide reasonable breastfeeding support in the workplace for lactating mothers. A qualitative study explored employers' readiness to provide breastfeeding accommodation in the workplace. Personal interviews were conducted with human resource managers (N=20) of companies with 500 or more employees in New York metropolitan area. Content analyses identified recurrent concepts in responses and determined employers' salient beliefs on consequences, supporters, and facilitating/challenging circumstances for implementing breastfeeding support in workplace. “Happy employees” and “high retention rate and improved loyalty” were most frequently mentioned (95%) benefits to the company. Supporters of breastfeeding-friendly environment in the workplace included “mothers and expectant mothers (70%),” and “managers supervising women and new mothers (55%).” Most frequently mentioned company drawbacks were “not cost effective (65%),” “time consuming (65%),” followed by “perception of special favors for some (50%).” Challenges for implementation included cost-effectiveness, and perceived fear of the negative impact on employee dynamics. The modal beliefs can be addressed in awareness campaigns and in planning strategies to implement breastfeeding friendly workplace.