For those who still believe that a good stable economy means that all mothers are out working instead of taking care of their kids at home, think again!
We believe that this American initiative deserves a shout-out. They seem to have understood that parental leave goes by far too quickly after a baby’s birth and parents are forced to put their child into day care earlier than they would like. Needless to say, this hurts families in a lot of ways!
Infants-at-Work programs have been adopted by more than 100 workplaces across the United States, and now, the office of the Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa is letting its staff members bring babies to work until they are about 6 months old.
Beth Shelton is the Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa and a mum herself. She says this isn’t just about letting parents save on day care fees but about showing staff that they are valued.
In a blog post, Shelton explains that the organization began to “research an innovative way to support new parents” at “the suggestion of an employee preparing to welcome her first child”.
The Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa sounds like a pretty awesome place to work. The organisation already offers eight weeks of paid parental leave for new parents after a birth or adoption, and recognises that a miscarriage is worthy of paid bereavement leave. We can only hope that the way this office values and supports parents is contagious.
