Babies in the Workplace

   Kerry Olson of the North Dakota Department of Health explained that the baby program created an awareness in people and got them talking "about the importance of focusing on family instead of keeping work and home life separate--as well as the need to promote work-site child care in North Dakota."

   Marie Bevione of Austin, Texas, explained one interesting effect of having babies in the office where she worked.

   Babies were good for conversation between
   different departments and were a catalyst for
   people to get to know each other. One of
   our college interns was really good with the
   babies and as a result found himself talking
   with various members of the staff he
   otherwise never would have interacted with.

   Wendy Zanotelli of UNCLE Credit Union explained that:

   Everyone is talking more about their
   personal lives [with the babies around]--
   saying things like, "when my son was little...'
   They're getting to know each other a lot
   better.

   She thought that having babies around helped with teamwork:

   Even when the babies aren't here some
   days, the morale seems to stay. And even
   when a baby leaves a department, morale
   does not decline--it stays like it was when
   the baby was there.

   She said that this appears to be related to the idea that:

   If a parent will entrust a coworker to hold
   their baby when the baby is crying while [the
   parent is] on the phone, that trust level will
   flow over into other things.