June 26, 2008

How bringing baby to work works

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Last month I wrote post about employers that allow babies in the workplace. The Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce is one such organization.

The Chamber's babies-in-the-workplace policy dates back to the nineties, says Vice President of People Programs Evelyn Lemoine. New parents who work at the 67-employee Chamber can bring their infants to work on a daily basis until the baby's six months old.

Curious about the logistics of this family-friendly policy, I asked Lemoine to spit up a bit more detail:

Q. Can any employee bring their zero- to six-month-old to work or are there some ground rules?

A. It's the parent's responsibility to complete the work and ensure that the baby is not disruptive to others. The parent also needs to have a backup arrangement available if it would be inappropriate for the baby to be at work on a given day [say, if the parent has wall-to-wall meetings].

Q. How many employees have brought their babies to work?

A. We do not currently have any babies in our workplace, but our policy has worked effectively when we have had them in the past. We've had maybe six or seven babies come to work really successfully.

Q. What happens when a baby is an "unsuccessful" addition to the office -- do you blacklist junior?

A. The only time we even came close to telling a mom that the arrangement wasn't working she realized it and proactively made other arrangements. Her baby was colicky and it was a drain on her and the people around her, and we were just about to say, "You know..."

Q. Do parents who bring baby to work have their own office? I can't imagine this working in a cubicle setting.

A. Many of our staff work in cubicles, and if one of them wants to bring a baby to work, we try to find space in an office while the baby is here.

Q. Have you had any dads bring baby to work, or just moms?

A. Both mothers and fathers have used the policy, although it's predominantly been mothers.

As an aside, the Chamber recently honored about a dozen of its member companies for their exceptional workplace flexibility policies. You can read more about it at Working Dad.

Michelle Goodman is the author of "My So-Called Freelance Life" and "The Anti 9-to-5 Guide." E-mail Michelle at mgoodman@nwjobs.com

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2 Comments

Brad on June 29, 2008 11:31 PM | Reply

I can't think of anything more irresponsible as to bring a baby to work. These people (Mom or Dad) don't really expect to get any work done, do they? I for one would be very unhappy to see a baby in the work environment. Basically, I feel having a child is a luxury that is a personal choice and should not be forced upon well wishing coworkers.

Jackie on July 15, 2008 8:37 PM | Reply

I bring my 11 month old to my office everyday, and is giving me nightmares, at firs it was ok, but now that she crawls and wants to explore the world is just not working, i am thinking of day care for the first time, and i feel so bad.

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