Babies in the Workplace

   It's very uplifting. And it doesn't distract from
   doing excellent work for our clients.

   As Mark Tatara of Health Newsletters put it, "It's not every day that you're at work and you get to hold and look at a baby." Sandy Jaffe, of The Booksource, said that, "morale in the company always improved when there was a baby around."

   Sally Rynne said that she noticed that the baby program had a major impact on employees feeling connected to and good about working for Health Newsletters. She said:

   Because [the baby program] worked so
   easily and so well, the people in the
   company did feel like they were on the
   forefront of something. They felt like we
   were different and able to do progressive
   things. That had a carryover to the
   confidence with which employees dealt
   with customers and clients.

   Sally explained that there was a "strong sense of identity in the company that we were different and innovative and confident about who we were--and that we could do different things that maybe others didn't do." She said that the baby program "definitely had an effect on the spirit of the company--people were proud of our company and proud of our practices and proud to work in a place that was successful and good."

   Sonya Allen explained that, at the Office of the State Banking Commissioner in Kansas, having babies around lightened the mood in the office. She explained that they work with

   bank regulation and numbers--kind of
   boring stuff. I think it makes it a happier
   place to come to work if you get to see a
   baby. Even some of the men I didn't think
   would have much to do with [my daughter]