Babies in the Workplace

   After those first few days of new baby excitement were over, these companies found that productivity was very high in the baby zones.

   Only one company noted a substantial negative effect on productivity. Greta deJong, founder and editor of Catalyst Magazine, has had five office babies in the past 15 years. She felt it was not the wisest business move in the traditional sense, but it offered a valuable life experience for everyone. She allowed the babies to come to work because she cared about their parents, believed babies benefit from staying with their moms, and found that it enriched the office to have the babies present.

   Nonetheless, she said it was sometimes difficult for the parents to effectively do their jobs.

Most of the parents who brought babies were in the position of Greta's executive assistant, a job requiring a variety of skills that included running errands, phonework, and meeting with office visitors--activities that a baby often interfered with. With a "village" ethic at play in this office, other staff members pitched in to help out.
Greta relied less and less on her assistant, whose job description became narrower to accommodate the needs of the baby. As the baby neared toddler stage, the parent's stress level usually went up. Then
it would be clear to all that the time had come for some sort of change.

Given the specific circumstances involved at the magazine, bringing babies in was not positive from a business perspective and is
not an experience she expects to repeat. But Greta emphasized that on a
personal level, she "loved getting to know the babies."