If you’re the CEO of a corporation or a manager in your company’s Human Resources department, you know that employee recruitment and retention are becoming increasingly difficult. Potential job seekers, as well as individuals who are already employed, have more occupational choices in today’s job climate—and a greater ability to work remotely. Many of these new options are simply due to the digital age that we all live in but are also a result of recent events such as the global pandemic that have made telecommuting more appealing—especially for working moms.
Staff members who are either pregnant (and about depart for maternity leave), or who have already had their baby and are about to return to the workplace, are both evaluating a host of tough employment decisions. Should I just stay at home? Who will care for my newborn if I return to my job? How will I handle sensitive and very personal decisions pertaining to my baby’s health as a new working mom? For example, many women who have already had their little one and wish to reconvene their career are likely struggling with how to manage the most basic logistics, such as how and where will they be able to breast pump in their place of work, if they wish to continue breast feeding. (This is where the MilkMate can help!)
Human Resources directors who engage directly with the individuals on their team (and especially with working moms who are facing these difficult choices) are at an advantage. By communicating clearly and taking an empathetic stance to the very real challenges faced by working moms who juggle multiple roles (both at home and at work), HR practitioners will be far more likely to retain and recruit valuable and qualified staff members. After all, a working mom should never have to leave a job she loves simply because her work environment is not conducive to supporting an activity such as breast pumping at work.
Here are a few things to consider that can help to keep working moms (and “moms to be”) as valued and committed employees, even as they embark on the dual role of being both a parent and full-time professional:
- Flexible work arrangements: Offering flexible work arrangements, such as telecommuting, part-time work, or job sharing, can help working moms balance a professional life and family responsibilities, and reduce the potential stress of returning to work after maternity leave.
- Lactation support: Offering lactation rooms, breast pumps, and access to lactation consultants can help working moms who choose to breast pump their babies continue to do so when they return to work. MilkMate is pleased to play a game-changing role in this area by streamlining logistics for working moms and taking the hassle and stress out of breast pumping at work with our all-in-one turnkey breast pumping solution purpose-built for workplace wellness rooms. (The solution is comprised of modular furniture components that include a built-in multi-user, high-performance breast pump and single-use parts that come pre-assembled, pre-sterilized and ready to use.)
- Gradual return-to-work: Allowing for gradual workplace re-entry, such as a phased return, can help working moms ease back into their job routine and reduce stress and anxiety.
- Genuine support: Being supportive and empathetic to working moms’ needs and challenges can help them to feel valued and motivated to stay with the company, even after their baby is born.
- Career development: Providing career development opportunities, such as training, mentoring, and coaching, can also help working moms feel valued and supported in their careers.
- Childcare support: Providing on-site or subsidized childcare, where appropriate, can even help working moms to better balance work and childcare responsibilities, and reduce the need to take significant time off work to care for child.
MilkMate is here to help Human Resources teams to provide better support for their valued staff members by delivering our all-in-one multi-user breast pumping solution for companies to offer to working moms upon their return to work. To learn more about this invaluable resource for recruiting and retention and help your organization become compliant with recent new regulations (see Pump Act) that requires employers to offer breast pumping employees a safe, private, and more convenient pumping space, talk to the MilkMate team. We’d love to hear from you.
