Nevada's Infant at Work Program

In 2009 the Nevada State Health Division piloted an Infant at Work Program, which enabled employees to bring their new babies to work and care for them while doing their jobs, until the babies turned 6 months old. The Health Division piloted the program for several reasons. First, there were five pregnant employees at the Health Division's main Carson City office location in 2009. Our Administration was concerned about these employees choosing to stay at home with their newborns or look for other flexible jobs, rather than returning to work. In addition, this time period was difficult for many state workers as they were facing mandatory pay cuts, furloughs, and a decrease in health benefits. The general atmosphere among state workers was fairly negative, and this seemed like a benefit that could be offered and one of which our Administrator actually had control. At the same time our Nevada Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) office discovered the Arizona Department of Health's Infant at Work Program, which had been in place for 10 years at that time. We were exposed to their participating babies in meetings and were intrigued by the possibility. The idea was proposed to our Administrator, Richard Whitley, who immediately embraced the idea and allowed us to draft a policy for the Health Division.

In preparation for the pilot program, we held numerous discussions with the Arizona Department of Health and the Parenting in the Workplace Institute. Using both of their sample policies, we drafted our own similar policies and began discussions with our Human Resources Department. The program required very low implementation costs, as the purchasing and installation of changing tables in our bathrooms were our only cost. Participating employees would be required to provide their own baby equipment and supplies in the office. In addition, the policy firmly states that only permanent employees with standard or above ratings on their employee evaluations would be eligible to participate in the program.

Throughout our research and planning for the pilot program, the Parenting in the Workplace Institute Website (www.parentingatwork.org) was an extremely helpful tool, which provided the justification and reassurance we needed. The Website lists why these types of programs work and what the benefits are to businesses, families, and communities. Once our program was underway, the Parenting in the Workplace Institute was validated, as we could see the benefits firsthand. The program works most importantly because parents work hard to succeed. Employees offer responsive care to their babies, so not to disturb their co-workers. As a result, the babies are extremely content. Other reasons the program works include that newborns sleep a lot, love physical contact, enjoy social interaction, and are healthier because they are typically breastfed longer. ¹

There are many benefits for businesses to allow babies in the workplace. We were surprised to find that employees were not only returning to work, but were returning to work earlier than normal. On average our Health Division staff is returning to work within 6 weeks after giving birth and forgoing the usual 12-week maternity leave. This is a major benefit because the positions are staying vacant for shorter periods of time and employees are willingly returning to work much sooner than expected. Other benefits to businesses include increased employee retention, higher morale, lower healthcare costs, and attraction of new employees. ¹ On the Parenting in the Workplace Institute Website, Carla Moquin lists numerous ways these programs benefits families, including better financial stability, easier transition back to work, easier to continue breastfeeding, providing a social network for parents and babies, allowing longer bonding time, and producing socialized and happier babies. ¹ In Nevada the average childcare expense for newborns is around $200 per week, so the financial benefit alone is staggering. In just 6 months a participating family could save almost $5,000.

As stated previously, these programs are quite simple to implement and can be highly effective when structured well. A detailed policy is a must, even when implementing a pilot or trial period. We have found that it is helpful to meet with staff before the baby's arrival in the office. Our participating employees are required to meet with their direct supervisor and a Human Resources staff member to review the policy in detail and discuss the plan before the baby's arrival. But, it is also helpful to hold a meeting with all staff who will be in close proximity to the baby, to review expectations and calm any concerns. Per our policy, we offer a baby-free zone when requested, but no such request has been made since 2009. In addition, in these 3 short years we have had no formal complaints about a baby or about the program in general.

Since the Health Division's pilot program began in 2009, the program has become permanent policy, and 14 employees have participated with their newborns. In 2011, the policy was revised to allow babies to stay at the office until they become mobile, which extended their time in the office by several months. Most important is that this program has been expanded to other agencies over the past few years! Both state and non-state agencies have adopted the policy, including Nevada Child and Family Services, the Nevada Division of Health Care Financing and Policy, and the Ron Wood Family Resource Center. The Health Division is proud to be the leader of such an innovative program for the State of Nevada.