Sheakley Updates

Benefits on the Rise: Onsite Lactation Rooms

Ella Baker
Benefits on the Rise: Onsite Lactation Rooms
Reading time 6 Mins
Published on Aug 1
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Offering a mother’s room to your employees

Considering that women with children are the fastest-growing segment of the work force, it is no surprise that onsite lactation rooms have become one of the hottest benefits offered by companies. Nearly 75 percent of new mothers in the US breastfeed their children during maternity leave, but only 25 percent continue to do so long-term after their return to work due to concerns regarding privacy, time, and space. Employers can meet the desires of new mothers to continue to breastfeed after returning to work by providing areas for lactation in the workplace. Lactation rooms are private spaces where a nursing mother can express breastmilk for her child. While the form of the room can vary widely from company to company, the rewards of offering a lactation room for nursing mothers benefit both your employees and your business.

What are the requirements

The “Break Time for Nursing Mothers” amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) was established in 2010 and requires that FLSA covered employers provide women reasonable time to express breastmilk in a private space in the workplace. The amendment further states that female employees have the right to this time and space for up to one year following the birth of a child.

While not providing specifics about the necessities for the lactation room, the Act does state that bathrooms, even if private, are not permissible locations. The space does not have to be dedicated solely for lactation purposes; however, if a shared space, the room must be made available on demand as needed by the mother. Temporary spaces, like enclosed partitions or tents, can also meet the requirements of the Act, provided that the mother is shielded from view and the space is free from any intrusion from coworkers or the public.

While the Department of Labor encourages all employers to offer lactation rooms whenever possible, small and mid-size businesses may qualify for an exemption if the provision would create an undue hardship. Undue hardship is determined by considering the difficulty or expense of compliance in comparison to the size, financial resources, nature, and structure of the each individual business.

Benefits of supporting lactation

Supporting new mothers by providing space and time for lactation can reap great rewards for your business and your employees. Your company can see lower healthcare costs, reduced absenteeism, and improved employee morale and retention as a result of supporting breastfeeding by new mothers.

Breastfeeding fosters healthier babies and mothers, resulting in reduced healthcare costs for both. Mothers who breastfeed typically recover faster from delivery, report feeling healthier, and are able to regain pre-pregnancy energy levels faster than their formula-feeding counterparts. In addition, one-day absences due to the illness of a child occur twice as often for mothers of babies who are not breastfed. Breastfed babies have fewer illnesses and, when they do become ill, recover more quickly than other babies. Additionally, they require fewer prescriptions and fewer non-preventative care doctor visits.

Mothers who work for companies that support and provide space for lactation in the workplace are more likely to return to that company after maternity leave, report higher engagement, and work for those companies longer than for companies that do not offer this benefit. Onsite lactation rooms support a better work-life balance for new mothers and reflects your commitment to the health of your employees and their families.

Company breastfeeding programs may help employers build goodwill within the community. In addition, any recognition given to breastfeeding-friendly worksites can be valuable because it gives businesses a competitive advantage when recruiting and retaining employees.

From policy to space

If you’re setting up a lactation room to support new mothers on your payroll, there are a few steps you’ll want to take to ensure that your employees and company are able to take advantage of all the rewards offered by this benefit. As with most things in business, a little planning and a lot of communication are the keys to success.

As a first step, you will want to talk to your staff and management team about the need for an onsite lactation space. Getting the buy-in of every member of your team is critical. Establish a policy that ensures that your company is equally and consistently applying the benefit to all new mothers.

You will also need to consider how you will accommodate the time needed for lactation, ensuring that mothers are allowed adequate time for pumping while making sure that workflows aren’t interrupted. As a good rule of thumb, most new mothers will need two to three lactation sessions per eight-hour period, though the needs of individual mothers will vary and change over time. To ensure that tasks are still completed on time, it is vital that you get the buy-in of supportive coworkers who may be expected to cover duties while mothers are expressing milk.

Once you have a policy in place and buy-in from your team, you’ll need to identify a space, either temporary or permanent, for your lactation room. Your lactation room should be large enough for a comfortable chair with a flat surface for the pump to sit on. While not required by law, ideal lactation rooms also contain an electrical outlet, sink, a small refrigerator specifically for breast milk, and a lock. If the room does not have a lock, you must provide some other way for privacy to be assured.

Lactation rooms and Sheakley

The benefits of supporting onsite lactation for new mothers is both tangible and intangible. The reduced healthcare costs, increased loyalty, and decreased absenteeism are all remarkable returns on your investment in the work-life balance of the new mothers at your company. Developing strong policies that support lactation and encourage employee buy-in may seem overwhelming for many small and mid-size business owners. Sheakley’s HR Management division can help you create policies for your employees that ensure the success of your onsite lactation program.

Schedule your free consultation with a Sheakley HR professional today. Stay up-to-date on all things Sheakley by subscribing to our blog and following us on social media. Join in the discussion by commenting below.


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