Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace
All workplaces must comply with the ACA 2010 and Montana State Law when it comes to breastfeeding support for employees. If you are already doing this, wonderful! If not, we have resources to help.
Mothers are the fastest growing segment in the workforce today and mothers in Gallatin County want to breastfeed their babies!
Supporting breastfeeding employees helps save money in health care costs, decreases employee turnover and employee absenteeism, and improves recruitment and retention! Aetna, for example, found a 3:1 return on investment in supporting it’s lactating employees!
A basic breastfeeding/lactation room needs:
Employers can support breastfeeding families by:
Here are some examples to help in finding a suitable location:
To make sure you are supporting your employees' rites to breastfeed, or to begin the process of becoming a Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace, visit Healthy Gallatin here.
Mothers are the fastest growing segment in the workforce today and mothers in Gallatin County want to breastfeed their babies!
Supporting breastfeeding employees helps save money in health care costs, decreases employee turnover and employee absenteeism, and improves recruitment and retention! Aetna, for example, found a 3:1 return on investment in supporting it’s lactating employees!
A basic breastfeeding/lactation room needs:
- An electrical outlet
- A room that locks from the inside
- A chair
- A table or flat service for the breast pump
- Disinfectant wipes or spray and paper towels
- Waste basket
- Clean room or space
- NOT a bathroom
Employers can support breastfeeding families by:
- Providing a space for expressing milk that is clean and safe
- Making pregnancy and breastfeeding pamphlets, books, and videos available
- Provide a list of community resources
- Names of local support groups
- Clear breastfeeding policy
Here are some examples to help in finding a suitable location:
- Retail sales, mall store, fast food business: Small storage closet, manager’s offices, storage areas, changing rooms
- Airport: Airline lounge, little used offices or storage areas, corner of a room with portable partitions
- Restaurant: Manager’s office, split shift with mom home during slow periods
- Hotel: Unoccupied guest room, unused or little used office space, storage room, conference or meeting space
- Transportation workers: Stations along their route, in her vehicle with a portable charger
- Construction: Office trailer or in her vehicle with a portable charger or battery operated breast pump
- Law enforcement officers: Municipal buildings may provide spaces for pumping
- Emergency personnel: Municipal buildings, local hospitals or the back of an unused ambulance
- Military: Partitioned off sections of locker rooms
- Hospital workers, physicians, nurses, administrators: Dedicated lactation room, unused rooms, closets, offices or conference rooms
- Migrant, field or agricultural workers: Portable tents, battery operated pumps or hand pumps
- Assembly line or factory workers: Dedicated room close to worker locations, sectioned off corner of a locker room, administrative offices, conference rooms
- Teachers: Unused office, nurse’s office, unused music, art or classroom
To make sure you are supporting your employees' rites to breastfeed, or to begin the process of becoming a Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace, visit Healthy Gallatin here.
