‘Pump and dump’. If you’re a breast-feeding working mum, you’ve been there, done that. The unmistakable groaning sound of the breast-pump. Leaky boobs on your blouse. Only for all that precious breast milk to literally go down the drain.
In a move that’s sure to get the seal of approval from women the world over, tech giant IBM is offering its staff a special service. Working mums who travel for business will now be able to express their breastmilk which the company will then courier to their babies back home.
It’s a simple solution. It uses temperature-controlled packages to transport the breastmilk. What is noteworthy is the sentiment behind the simplicity. Given that most tech companies have low numbers when it comes to female staff, this is an innovative move to attract and retain female staff. A godsend to mums who travel for work.
Barbara Brickmeier, vice president of benefits at IBM, recently told Fortune, “We are going to experiment with this and see how many women are interested. 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.”
It’s heartening to hear about organisations who are thinking outside the square to support working parents. Just recently, Virgin CEO Richard Branson announced that his company's new parents could take up to one year fully paid parental leave.
How does your workplace support working mums?
