For Employers & Businesses
 |
|
 |
The Pennsylvania Breastfeeding Coalition |
Click here for a printable nomination form
Maternity Care Coalition in collaboration with the
Pennsylvania Breastfeeding Coalition announces
The 2008 Breastfeeding-Friendly Business Award
To recognize area businesses and workplaces that support breastfeeding mothers as employees and/or patrons. Anyone can nominate a business…whether you are an employee who is breastfeeding or has breastfed, a co-worker, a supervisor, a boss, or a patron at a local establishment.
Nomination Deadline: June 30, 2008
SELECTION CRITERIA
For businesses serving patrons & customers:
- Welcoming Environment— A breastfeeding mother should be treated the same as any other patron by the staff and management.
- Trained Staff— The business trains staff to handle complaints about breastfeeding from other customers.
For workplaces:
- Time— Breastfeeding mothers are given adequate time to express milk or nurse their babies. This may be in the form of breaks, flexible work hours, or part-time work.
- Space— The workplace provides an accessible, safe, clean, private space to express milk or nurse. This may range from a designated “mother’s lounge” to a privacy screen at a cubicle.
- Support—All employees are informed about the ways the business accommodates employees who are breastfeeding. The breastfeeding support program is described in writing; this may be in the new employee orientation, a benefits summary, guidelines to prevent discrimination and harassment, a company wellness program, or a separate breastfeeding support policy. Supervisors and co-workers are updated on breastfeeding support when an employee returns from maternity leave.
- Flexibility—The workplace is flexible in accommodating each breastfeeding mother’s unique situation.
Click here for a printable nomination form
Please join us for a Special Awards Ceremony on Monday, September 15, 2008 in Philadelphia (time and location TBA).
Other Resources for Employers
Become a Breastfeeding-Friendly Business
Nominate a business for the Breastfeeding-Friendly Business Awards and
join the "Breastfeeding Welcome Here" decal campaign!
Women in the Workplace: The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action
The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action website is a great source for employers and breastfeeding mothers. Visiting the website increases understanding of the challenges of and barriers to breastfeeding in the workplace while viewing helpful hints on how barriers can be overcome.
Workplace Breastfeeding Support is a paper published by the United States Breastfeeding Committee that outlines steps and policies that an employer can use to support breastfeeding in the workplace.
Business Case for Breastfeeding Toolkit
The Business Case for Breastfeeding - The Health Resources and Services Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau has released a toolkit to help advocates to educate businesses about the benefits of supporting their employees to breastfeed. You can obtain 3 brochures online by visiting http://www.ask.hrsa.gov/ or get the FULL KIT by calling 1-888-275-4772.
Last Updated June 2008