We are delighted that our breastfeeding and return to paid work toolkit for employers is now live, to help employers support their breastfeeding employees. This toolkit is free to use and draws on evidence from the Maternal Wellbeing, infant feeding and return to paid work study funded by the Nuffield Foundation. Supporting breastfeeding employees to reach their infant feeding goals (feeding their child in the way that they want for as long as they/and or child wishes to) benefits employers to:
- It helps to retain staff, reducing recruitment and training costs
- Evidence has shown that parents of breastfed children have less time off sick
- Supporting infant feeding goals increases maternal wellbeing which increases employee morale and productivity
The study showed that despite positive intentions, HR professionals and Line Managers often lacked awareness of the specific needs of mothers, practicalities and how best to support breastfeeding employees. The toolkit aims to make supporting breastfeeding employees less overwhelming, recognising that differing workplaces may face different challenges. Often small changes can have a big impact! It provides information on specific needs of breastfeeding mothers, legal obligations, best practice and practical solutions. It includes guidance on workplace policy, communication and how to facilitate inclusive conversations concerning infant feeding.
The toolkit was written by Professor Sylvia Jaworska and Professor Sarah Jewell (members of the study team) with Sally Rickard IBCLC, an international board certified lactation consultant (the gold-standard professional qualification in breastfeeding, globally recognised). If you have any feedback or suggestions please contact Professor Sarah Jewell (s.l.jewell@reading.ac.uk).
The Nuffield Foundation is an independent charitable trust with a mission to advance social wellbeing. It funds research that informs social policy, primarily in Education, Welfare, and Justice. The Nuffield Foundation is the founder and co-funder of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, the Ada Lovelace Institute and the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory. The Foundation has funded this project, but the views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily the Foundation.
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