IBM's efforts to create a happy work environment for its employees is set to go a notch higher as the company plans to launch a breast milk delivery service for working mothers.
Come September, working mothers at IBM will be able to take advantage of the service when they are traveling. Initially, the breast milk delivery program will only be available for domestic travels, but IBM intends to make the same global.
The program will allow mothers to ship their expressed breast milk to their babies in temperature-controlled packages such as those from "NanoCool." The details of how the unique program will work are still being worked out per a Fortune report and could possibly deploy the use of a smartphone app for hotel deliveries.
The incurring expenses for packaging and shipping will be shouldered by IBM. IBM's VP Barbara Brickmeier is unsure of how many female employees would participate in the program. It is also not known how much the initiative would cost.
"We are going to experiment with this and see how many women are interested," noted Brickmeier. "As long as it appeals to a segment of our population and they feel that they can better balance their work and home, we will continue it."
IBM's novel program is in a bid to not only attract new female employees, but also retain existing ones.
Currently, laws in the U.S. require that employers offer a private area, as well as reasonable break times to breastfeeding women to express milk at the workplace. However, the employers are not legally bound to offer them assistance when the employee is traveling due to work.
The WHO, however, recommends that women should breastfeed their babies exclusively for a minimum of six months. Studies, on the other hand, reveal that less than one third of women in the U.S. breastfeed for three months, which is way shorter than the advisable standard.
At such a time, the IBM initiative will be welcomed not only by female employees but health agencies as well. The move could prompt other companies to also create similar programs.
Photo: Aurimas Mikalauskas | Flickr
