Women are a valuable asset and a good potential for development of the workplace. In the course of their work years, most of them give birth and return to work while taking care of their children.
Progressive employers around the world, who recognize the importance of the female worker and her family’s health as well of augmenting the satisfaction of their female workers, are striving to turn the workplace into a “breastfeeding friendly” environment.
Providing settings that enable the female workers to continue nursing or pumping milk can boost their commitment to the workplace, reduce their days of absence and save resources.
The Civil Service Commission in cooperation with the Ministry of Health are working to encourage employers to change the workplaces in a way that will make it possible for mothers to continue nursing also after they have returned to work.
Supporting breastfeeding at the workplace creates a situation in which everybody benefits.
The employer benefits:
- Reducing female workers common absences – nursing babies are less sick (see box) and nursing women are healthier. Data show that nursing mothers’ rate of absenteeism from work is 50% lower compared to non- breastfeeding mothers.
- Financial saving - a breastfeeding friendly workplace increases the probability of nursing women returning to work faster. Thus, staff turnover will decrease and the employer’s need to train replacement workers will be eliminated. A workplace that encourages breastfeeding preserves experienced, capable and highly motivated female workers.
- An increase of female workers satisfaction – raises their morale and increases their work efficiency.
- An improvement of the workplace image - workplaces that incorporate breastfeeding promoting programs improve their image in society as progressive and supportive of the family.
- Breastfeeding is environmentally “green” – many workplaces carry these days a green standard label as part of the brand’s or the organization’s image; a workplace that supports breastfeeding is a green place.
The female worker benefits:
- Preserving her and her baby’s health – nursing mothers and breastfed babies are healthier and less exposed to various diseases.
- A sense of satisfaction and empowerment - a workplace that supports breastfeeding enables the worker who has chosen to breastfeed to continue doing so even after her return to work. This facilitates her decision to return to work before long and augments her sense of satisfaction as a mother and a working woman.
- Strengthening the mother-baby bondage - extremely significant for mothers who part from their babies to go out to work.
Why is it important to encourage the workers to nurse after their return to work?
At the end of the maternity leave – which in Israel lasts 14 weeks – the mother returning to work is still expected to fully breastfeed her baby. Full breastfeeding for about six months and continuation of breastfeeding with complementary food up to at least one year is very important to the mother and baby’s health.
Three means for encouraging nursing or pumping after returning to work:
- Time – enabling flexible work hours and breaks for nursing or pumping (at least two breaks during and 8-hour work day) in addition to the breaks which the worker is entitled to by law.
- Place – allocating an adequate place for breastfeeding or pumping in privacy with signs directing to the intended breastfeeding or pumping place. The place must be accessible also to disabled women.
- Support – establishing a written declared policy of breastfeeding support, appointing a staff member responsible for implementing the policy, a staff and atmosphere supportive of the nursing mothers, information materials and fliers on the subject of breastfeeding, establishing principles for pumping and storing of mother’s milk. A breastfeeding support program can be carried out on several levels: basic, extended and encompassing. Every employer can decide regarding the level he is interested in implementing the program.
A place intended for pumping milk at the workplace should contain:
- A comfortable chair
- Running water, soap, paper towels, wash-basin, a water dispenser for drinking and cleaning the pumping utensils close to the nursing and pumping place; a storage place for the pumped milk (like a refrigerator used by the workers. No need for a special refrigerator).
- An electrical socket for operating electrical pumps
- If there is no separate room – a screen for creating privacy
Additional aids (in case direct breastfeeding is possible)
- A changing table
- A trash can for diapers
- A daycare adjacent to the workplace
