For Employers

Why Support Breastfeeding in the Workplace?

  • Supporting workplace lactation improves retention and recruitment.

  • Breastfeeding employees and their partners miss work less often because their babies are healthier.

  • Breastfeeding lowers healthcare costs for the breastfeeding employee and her children because breastfeeding improves health outcomes for mothers and babies.

 

WHAT EMPLOYERS NEED TO KNOW

Rules & Regulations

At the bare minimum, employers should adhere to the federal and state laws that protect breastfeeding workers from discrimination, and allow them access to safe places and adequate time for pumping. 

In accordance with federal law and Maine State law, all employers must provide:

 

  • A reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child for 1 year after the child’s birth each time such employee has need to express the milk; and

  • A place, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from coworkers and the public, which may be used by an employee to express breast milk.

While following these laws will protect you from lawsuits, it may not be enough to make your breastfeeding workers feel supported. Consider doing to more to create a supportive atmosphere by:

 

  • Providing a lactation space with a locking door, an electrical outlet, a comfortable chair, a sink, and a refrigerator.

  • Creating a lactation policy that is widely distributed and readily available.

  • Offering flexible schedules and paid breaks for your employees to express milk. 

  • Training managers to be accommodating to their lactating team members.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Breastfeeding-Friendly Workplace 

 

Maine State Breastfeeding Coalition recognizes that breastmilk is the optimal food for growth and development of infants and saves money in the short and long term. We encourage employees and management to have a positive, accepting attitude toward working women who are expressing breastmilk or breastfeeding their nursing child. We support employees who are expressing breastmilk or breastfeeding their nursing child when they return to work

Below are three examples of becoming a breastfeeding-friendly environment for your employees.

Good Level

The Good Level Policy complies with Maine State Law regarding Nursing Mothers in the Workplace for worksites that have 50 or more employees. (26 M.R.S.A. § 604). An employer who is found to have violated this law through a hearing process must pay a civil penalty of $100-$500 for every violation.

 

To meet the Good Level, a Workplace needs to cover and include the following:

  • Private clean space that is not a bathroom

  • Locked door

  • Outlet in room

  • Comfortable chair

  • Table for supplies

  • Sink in close proximity of room

  • System to sign up for room

  • Provide unpaid time or allow employee to use paid time (20-30min) every two-three hours to express breastmilk

  • Policy written for employees to access

Better Level

The Better Level Policy covers Maine Law regarding Nursing Mothers in the Workplace and supports continued success of the breastfeeding mother.

 
 

To meet the Better Level, a Workplace needs to include all aspects of a Good Level Policy and must:

  • Dedicated lactation room(s) only for expressing breastmilk

  • Provide a hospital grade breast pump that stays on site

  • Have a sink in the lactation space

  • Equip the lactation room with snacks

  • Arrange an area for pictures of babies to be displayed

  • Meet with employee before maternity leave to design a return to work plan

  • Develop a positive culture around breastfeeding and promoting long-term pumping (1-3years) at the worksite

  • Confirm that meetings are scheduled around times the lactation room is reserved

  • If the employee must travel within the first year, help them set up a way to ship breast milk back home and confirm they will have a location to pump while at conferences.

Best Level

The Best Level Policy follows Maine Law regarding Nursing Mothers in the Workplace, supports continued success of breastfeeding while working, and goes the extra mile to provide a stress-free support system at work. The culture of the worksite is also altered and all employees understand the positive benefits breastfeeding has on the mother baby dyad and on the business side of the workplace.

 

To meet the comprehensive Best Level, a Workplace needs to include all aspects of the Good and Better Level Policies and the following:

  • Give employees access to lactation consultants while at work

  • Have a refrigerator only for breastmilk

  • Provide extra pumping supplies on hand

  • Increase your paid leave policy

  • Avoid asking the employee to travel the first year of their infant’s life

 
 

Resources for Employers

 

Legal & Compliance

 

Building Out Workplace Lactation Support

 

Mamava - Turn-key lactation pods for the workplace
Milk Stork - Breastmilk-shipping benefit
Nestl - Portable lactation stations for the workplace
​​​​pumpspotting - Community and expert lactation support benefit