Babies in the Workplace

   Maria Rodriguez of Vanguard Communications said that she has noticed that

   new bonds get set up. People have said
   that to me. Someone they never had
   contact with--like someone in the
   accounting department who wouldn't
   interact regularly with someone in graphic
   design--suddenly the graphics person
   comes by to see the baby and a
   relationship develops--they now have a
   bond. In that regard, there's more
   camaraderie. People will naturally reach
   out to a person with a baby.

Babies Attract New Customers

A baby program can be a great marketing tool for a business. Most of these businesses have had their baby programs discussed on the internet and in magazine articles. All of the businesses noticed positive effects on customers'

impressions of the business. Since baby programs are still relatively unknown to most of the American public, the novelty factor is huge. These programs can have a dramatic positive impact on consumers' perception of a business. The companies with these programs report that customers will often come in just to see if the company really does have babies or to visit particular babies to whom they have become attached. All of the businesses in which babies were in public view had customers express sadness when a particular baby reached the limit of the program and was no longer coming to work. These customers missed getting
their "baby fix" and they looked forward to when the next baby would be coming in.

Alicia Lionberger at Foris Winery said that she often had customers come in to check on her baby's progress, and that they were disappointed if he wasn't there that day. She even said that, "People get