Also, the companies with these programs have found that the great majority of coworkers end up feeling invested in the babies’ well-being and enjoy pitching in as needed to help out the parents (play with the babies, take them for a 5-minute walk, etc.). It can actually be really nice for the parents bringing the babies because they and their babies benefit from the social and support network of the workplace–there isn’t the isolation felt by a lot of stay-at-home parents. And coworkers find that having babies around makes them feel calmer and less stressed–people talk about taking “baby breaks” if they’re having a bad day. There really doesn’t seem to be resentment from coworkers about “special treatment” issues in companies with structured programs–the babies tend to be really happy because parents are so responsive to their needs (to avoid crying issues that would be disruptive to coworkers) and because of all the social stimulation they get from others in the workplace. The happy babies create a “community parenting” effort, so there really aren’t issues (again, in companies with clear guidelines) with resentment, etc.

Structured guidelines/policies (which is what we strongly advocate) prevent a lot of potential problems, such as what you mentioned in your post (asking people to watch the baby who really aren’t comfortable with it, etc.).

Carla

You beat me to the blog post about this article. As I read it I could connect with so much of the frustrations moms face. But one resonating question in my head was, “What about the Dads?” The entire article was written as though women have to be the only ones to balance work and family and it’s all on our shoulders. Why can’t the Dads share the burden when the nanny calls in sick or the day care has a gas leak? But that’s another article for another day…

As an employer, we require that parents have some kind of child care in place but we’re virtual so if the day’s child care doesn’t work out, our employees CAN indeed work and watch the children. It’s not an ideal day-to-day solution (trust me, I know from experience how hard it is to concentrate and watch the children) but it’s a start. Our virtual structure allows for more flexibility, less commute time and more options for seeing your children in between the day’s conference calls and projects, not to mention being home in time for dinner – a rarity in this day and age.

I don’t think allowing children into every workplace is ideal but for some, like the retail store featured in the article, it does work. I also think child care issues are one of the driving factors behind women starting their own businesses – we’re taking control of our own destinies and making our own choices, not waiting around for government or employers to catch up to the need for such important flexibilities and options.

Thank you for writing on this subject.

All the best,
Christine Perkett
PerkettPR, Inc.