Babies in the Workplace

"I think most of the coworkers around where a baby has been at work consider it to have been a really positive thing."

"We work in a cluster of offices and cubicles staffed by all male career fire operations experts--a pretty salty group of guys. We all loved having Freya here and I think her presence reduced stress, increased smiles, and really had no significant impact on the quality or quantity of work we were able to get done."

"Watching this beautiful little girl grow up day by day and interact with all these big gruff men (who turn out to be mostly softies) was a really cool experience. She still comes in occasionally, and it's always a better day here when Freya is toddling around."

"One of the biggest benefits of having a baby in the office was the effect it had on other workers, most notably my boss. He's the head of BLM Fire Operations, and so oversees the policy development and safety program for approximately 2,000 Bureau firefighters, and this job can be
incredibly stressful. I'd see him return from a meeting during the peak of fire season and he'd just look beaten down. He'd walk in, sit on the floor and goo and gaa at Freya for a few minutes, maybe catch a couple of her little smiles, and return to the battle totally refreshed. It was incredible, and so good for both him and her."