Breastfeeding in the Workplace

Breastfeeding in the Workplace

Breastfeeding law and benefits

Did you know there is a law that addresses breastfeeding in the workplace? Indeed there is, and while I am sure many of you know about this, do you know if you are in compliance? And do your employees know this is a law? 她们是否知道,如果她们生完孩子并在哺乳后重返工作岗位,她们能做什么,能去哪里? 《正规澳门赌场app》要求受《正规澳门赌场app》约束的雇主在雇员的孩子出生后一年内为其提供哺乳休息时间. 一个常见的误解是,如果你是一个雇员少于50人的雇主, you need not comply with this law. However, that is not true. 任何必须遵守FLSA规则的雇主都必须遵守这项法律.

According to Brenda Bandy, 堪萨斯母乳喂养联盟的项目主管, in an article she recently wrote entitled The Business Case for Breastfeeding在美国,超过75%的新妈妈选择母乳喂养. As most new mothers know, 孩子出生后重返工作岗位已经够困难的了,不用担心如何继续母乳喂养孩子.

Research has long told the benefits of breastfeeding, 并表明母乳喂养的婴儿患以下疾病的风险较低:

  • Asthma
  • Leukemia (during childhood)
  • Obesity (during childhood)
  • Ear infections
  • Eczema (atopic dermatitis)
  • Diarrhea and vomiting
  • Lower respiratory infections
  • 坏死性小肠结肠炎(en- turi -oh-coh- lyt -iss), 一种影响早产儿胃肠道的疾病, or babies born before 37 weeks of pregnancy
  • Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
  • Type 2 diabetes

Other potential benefits of breast feeding may include:

  • Promotion of a healthy weight
  • An association with increased intelligence
  • More rapid weight loss in mothers
  • Reduce mothers’ risk of post-partum depression
  • Savings of time and money

How employers can comply with the law

那么,作为雇主,遵守FLSA法律到底需要做些什么? 你不仅要定期提供合理的休息时间, 但你也必须有一个专门为哺乳母亲指定的房间. According to the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division, 公平劳动标准法第7(r)条-哺乳母亲的休息时间规定, “A place other than a bathroom [emphasis mine], 这是一个隐蔽的地方,不受同事和公众的干扰, “必须提供员工可以使用的挤奶器”. 它不必是一个永久的专用哺乳室, 较小的组织可能会使用屏幕或其他创造性的方式来保护母亲的隐私. 理想情况下,房间里应该有一把舒适的椅子. 大多数重返工作岗位的哺乳期母亲使用吸奶器. 虽然我认识的很多女性都自带吸奶器, some companies provide a breast pump in the room.

Why this issue matters to employers

为什么这对企业来说很重要,因为它与员工招聘、敬业度和留任有关? According to the National Business Group on Health, 工作场所母乳喂养项目可能有助于降低医疗成本, lost productivity and absenteeism by:

  • 减少妇女和儿童面临一些短期和长期健康问题的风险
  • 减少员工因照顾生病的孩子而缺勤
  • Promoting an earlier return from maternity leave
  • Increasing retention of female employees

And right now, 低失业率和似乎重新关注员工的幸福和健康, 这是雇主应该注意的一个非常重要的问题. 我可以告诉你,我女儿18个月前生了个孩子, and when she went back to work, 她的雇主首先让她在浴室里挤奶. 然后他们把她搬到一个没有使用过的旧壁橱里,那里阴暗而沉闷. 不用说,她已经不在那里工作了. While this not the sole reason she left, 作为一名新妈妈和一名员工,这给她传递的信息让她质疑自己对公司的价值.

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