Back in 2000, two pregnant employees in the Office of Nutrition at the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) participated in a pilot program that allowed them to bring their infants into the workplace — all day, every day — until the baby was four months old. The effort’s intent aligned with the critical public health goal of promoting continued exclusive breastfeeding, along with bonding between new mothers and their babies.

It went so well that the department allowed the infants to stay with their mothers at work until they were five months old — and then six months old. Twenty-five years later, ADHS Infant at Work is a formal department-wide program and an inarguable success in workplace flexibility for new infant caregivers.

“It all started with these two women who said, ‘Let’s give this a try and see how it goes,’” said Susie Leo, program coordinator for Infant at Work, who has overseen the program for the past 15 years. “Now, it’s a program that employees really value. They feel cherished by their employer.”

Who can bring their baby to work?

In 2008, the Infant at Work program was expanded to include mothers, fathers, legal caregivers, and foster parents, according to Leo. The department’s director encouraged this expansion to further facilitate bonding between infants and their caregivers. Though program participation is not a right, Leo said, it’s a privilege afforded to all employees who are in good standing. Department contractors can also participate if they have written approval from their contracting agency.

A supervisor or division director must approve an employee for the program. But not every workspace or role is appropriate for a baby. Flexibility is key to making sure all employees can participate, according to Leo.

“If an employee’s job circumstances aren’t appropriate for an infant, they can be assigned alternate duties in some cases,” she said. “For example, state laboratory employees may be taken off the bench while their baby is with them. At the state hospital, employees in patient-facing roles may bring their infant on certain days and see patients on other days.”

Field visits or outings where an employee is using a state car also aren’t appropriate for infants, according to Leo. “Those are special circumstances where a baby may stay home with someone else for the day,” she said. Babies must also stay at home when they’re sick.

Program basics

Infant at Work participation rules are straightforward. Approved employees may bring their baby to the workplace with them until the end of the week in which the infant turns six months old. That’s when babies “retire” from the program.

When Leo meets with program participants, she makes it clear that caregivers must have childcare in place by the time the baby retires. “It’s rare that childcare is not in place at that time,” she said. “Occasionally, some employees need to take a little time off.”

Caregivers must provide any equipment they need to care for their infant while they’re at work. Aside from space considerations, they can choose what works best for them.

“They can bring in anything they can fit in their cubicle or office,” Leo said. “I’ve seen everything from strollers with car seats to blankets on the floor so babies can have tummy time. Some employees bring bassinets, bouncy chairs, or a pack and play. It depends on what they have available to keep at the office. You’re not going to want to take equipment back and forth from home.”

ADHS has two lactation rooms in its main building, one in its state laboratory, and several areas in the state hospital. Changing tables are available in most restrooms. Caregivers must dispose of diapers in sealed bags placed in trash cans that are not located in lunchrooms or break rooms.

Meet your new coworker

Babies of program participants often become honorary team members. Leo, who participated in the Infant at Work program with her own three children, said she and her coworkers often joked that coming to work helped improve their babies’ social skills. “People talk to them when they stop by and they’ve been in meetings,” she said.

Joking aside, Leo said babies in the office can be a real morale booster. “Some people love to see a baby in their meeting or to hold a baby for a minute,” she said.

But Leo also said it’s important to remember that not every employee is a “baby person.” The department has done focus groups with supervisors through the years and has at times heard this feedback. Leo recalled one instance during her time as program coordinator when an employee felt a program participant was asking too much of coworkers. The participant’s supervisor stepped in to clarify expectations, she said.

“But things like that are very rare,” Leo said. “This program is such a part of our culture.”

Productivity and presence

Critics of babies in the workplace point to the possibility of distraction and decreased productivity. But Leo, who used herself as an example, said the program can help eliminate distractions for caregivers.

“Knowing that I didn’t have to put my children in childcare at eight weeks old and that they’d be with me for six months brought incredible peace of mind,” she said. “I was a more focused and present employee because my baby was with me during that time.”

Leo said focus groups with supervisors of program participants have been positive overall. “We found that most supervisors said the type of employee you have before participating in the program is going to be the type of employee you have in the program,” she said. “If an employee is meeting deadlines, getting their work done, and working the required number of hours, that’s who they’re going to be in the program as well. We recognize that taking care of an infant and doing a full-time job can be challenging, but we find most employees will still be highly effective during the program.”

Leo said she has spoken with other state agencies who are thinking about implementing an infant at work program but worry about workplace impacts. “They envisioned that there were just babies crying all over the department,” she said. “But there aren’t that many employees participating at any given moment. And when babies cry, their caregiver is right there learning to respond to that baby’s needs in the moment, learning their cues, and taking care of them before it gets to crisis-level crying in most cases. I think people would be very surprised at how easy it is to just incorporate babies into the office.”

A cost-neutral benefit for employees

Benefits of this program include giving caregivers the time they need to bond with their infants and to learn how to respond to their needs. The program also helps reduce childcare costs for employees at no cost to ADHS.

Perceived cost is sometimes a misconception for departments considering a program like this, according to Leo. “They think it’s going to be this costly, risky endeavor,” she said. “But there are no special liability considerations because a baby is a visitor in our building that is treated just like any other visitor would be.”

To help protect infants from illness, ADHS recommends that babies don’t come into the office until they are at least four weeks old. But that’s a suggestion, not a requirement, Leo said.

The department has no plans to expand the program to babies older than six months, although Leo said she’s heard of other programs that extend until the baby is walking. “We think that would take too much of the caregiver’s time,” she said. “So, we’ve kept it to what works best for us in our office environment.”

Leo said ADHS continues to survey employees before and after their program participation and to do focus groups with participants and supervisors. These practices have provided valuable information about how the program affects employee recruitment and retention, she said.

“We’ve found a majority of people who participate say they plan to be employed by the department two years from now,” she said. “Our focus group participants have also told us the program did factor into their decision to apply to and end up working at ADHS. Employees tell us this program makes them want to stay.”

Key Actions

Curious about whether an infant at work program could work in your department? Here are some actions to consider:

  • Run a pilot. A trial will let you explore a program and see its benefits and challenges before committing long term.
  • Secure leadership buy-in. Talk to other departments with successful infant in the workplace programs to learn about any policy, liability, or financial concerns they had to address. Present department leadership with a clear plan that addresses these concerns and highlights the public health benefits of infant and caregiving bonding.
  • Designate a coordinator. A dedicated program leader helps manage paperwork, troubleshoot challenges, and enforce program rules when needed.
  • Develop mentors. Consider creating a network of past program participants who can help new caregivers know what to expect and how to manage challenges. Supportive coworkers who’ve been there can help ease the transition back to full-time work when a new infant joins the family.