Babies in the Workplace

She explained, though, that "it has to be in an environment where it works. If I'm a career person and don't like kids, it might not work." She noted how important it is to have upper management supporting the program--she said that it would really help "people buy into it."

Baby-Free Zones

Some companies found that offering a "baby-free work environment" helped to minimize coworker concerns. Offering employees the option to have their work area moved or an option for a parent to temporarily move to a different location minimized the risk of resentment or frustration by other employees. None of the profiled companies actually reported resentment by coworkers, but some wanted to make this option available to minimize the risk in the future. Debbie Butler at Valley Credit Union said that employees of Valley who are disturbed by

for a while, the positive effects will be seen firsthand by employees and the company culture is likely to become very supportive of the baby program concept.

Top-Down Support

   Managers, parents, and coworkers all mentioned that having a baby program be supported at the top levels of a company is crucial to its success. Many people believe that babies invariably cry frequently and thus wouldn't be suitable in a work environment. Because of this, if a baby program isn't wholeheartedly supported, middle-level employees and managers may inadvertantly do things to sabotage a baby program that would otherwise work well. Carolyn Gable of New Age said that

   once you [have a baby program], you can't
   imagine why everyone wouldn't want to do
   it. It's 100% positive--there's no downside
   to it.