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Pumping at Work - The New Disability?
Filed under: Opinions
These days, companies have to do a lot to accommodate employees with special needs. From ensuring access for the physically challenged to preventing discrimination, the rules and regulations can be complex and confusing. But how far should business have to go in adapting the workplace and the position to meet the needs of an employee? Does every need have to be accommodated, including personal choices such as nursing, or only involuntary medical and physical conditions?It looks like, in Ohio, at least, the state's Supreme Court will be deciding some of these questions. Should nursing mothers be given opportunities to pump during their work day? Should companies be required to offer time to moms so that they can pump? Or should companies be able to tell mothers they want employees who aren't going to waste half their day sitting in the bathroom with machinery attached to their chest?
An Ohio woman was fired, she says, for taking extra bathroom breaks in order to pump breast milk. According to LaNisa Allen, a former warehouse laborer at Totes/Isotoner Corporation, she was let go after she began taking the extra breaks to relieve the pain of engorgement. Her scheduled ten-minute break at 8:00 a.m. was insufficient for her to pump enough to last until her lunch break at 11:00 a.m. The company claims, however, that "breastfeeding doesn't legally constitute an illness or medical condition." They also say that legal precedents show that companies are not required to give extra breaks to women who need to pump.
It seems that for the year or so that most women in this country breastfeed, companies ought to be able to make some allowances. I don't think anyone is going to go out and get pregnant just so she can get a few extra minutes sitting in an unused office with a pump attached. But how far do employers need to go to support their staff?
Rae, a first grade teacher in the Bay Area, juggles teaching and pumping every day. "Because I pump in my room," says Rae, who is currently nursing her third baby, "it's very stressful. When it's raining, the kids are inside. I have to be in there when the kids are there; I can't just leave to go pump somewhere." So how does she handle her need to pump when her students were inside for lunch and recess? "I pump during PE time if the PE teacher shows up -- otherwise, if I'm lucky, one of the other teachers will walk my kids to lunch and that gives me fifteen minutes or so to pump while they're eating their lunch."
Rae is fortunate; she has sympathetic co-workers who will help her out in a bind. But not everyone feels that way. Rachael Larimore, writing at Slate Magazine, says that women would be well served by offering to arrive early and stay late to make up the time spent pumping, but she also says that those who argue that the need to breastfeed or pump is not a medical condition are "either men or maybe women who've never arrived at work with a breast pump in tow only to realize that part of the device is sitting at home on the kitchen counter. I can assure you it's painful."
I agree. If companies can allow smokers to light up on a regular basis throughout the day and make allowances for workers who need to use the restroom frequently, I would say that companies should support women in one of the most important things they can do for their child.
What do you think? Do companies need to support women who pump at work or should it be something that a mother does on her own time?
| All the way -- whatever the mom needs, the company should allow for it. | |
|---|---|
| As much as possible -- The company should make reasonable accommodations. | |
| Not much -- The company should help, but not at the expense of profits and productivity. | |
| Not at all -- it's the mother's problem; she got pregnant, not her employer. |
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 2)
3-11-2009 @ 9:25PM
T said...what about the days the mom doesn't have to miss work since she is breastfeeding compared to how many times her baby would get sick if not breastfeeding!
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3-11-2009 @ 5:43PM
Joy said...First of all, I don't see how "lighting up all day" and breastfeeding have anything to do with each other. Most smokers can't just walk off the job to go smoke. They wait until breaks and lunch. Now you can't smoke "inside" anyhow so that's a moot point.
I can see it now. My husband will stop all work in his plywood factory and make everyone on all the machines wait for someone to go pump. Oh, does he have to make a special room for them to do it in also? In 50 years he never had to have a special room for it but now he does?? Do you realize factories such as plywood or mills, work with a lot of people on one machine? What do you suppose all the other people should do while they're waiting? 6 people work on a press, 4 people work on the trim saw, 4 people work on two sanders etc. Just what do you propose those other people do?
I can see it in some area's of employment but not in all. I can see making allowances if you can but not in a factory when you work along side other people on big machinery. That is being inconsiderate to them. There are three breaks during the day and if you can't get it done in that time, when the smokers are all out smoking, then maybe you should make other working arrangements.
I guess maybe we won't need to worry. With all the new small business owners tax hikes, there won't be anymore small business's so most of these people will be out of work and they can pump at home.
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3-11-2009 @ 6:18PM
Melissa said...I'm sorry, but that last statement was just rude. Do you know how many people are out of work right now? And not just small businesses either, big companies are laying off employess, too! I got let go from my job three years ago - not because I needed to go pump, but simply because I had a baby in the first place. Do you think that was right? Because I think it wasn't, considering that I wasn't nursing (I couldn't), and I was planning on going back before my UNPAID maternity leave was actually up. Do you also think it's wrong that I got an extra two weeks of UNPAID leave because my daughter was eight weeks premature? I've seen some of your posts before, lady, and you seem very shallow and slightly uneducated....only my opinion, though. Have a nice day.
3-11-2009 @ 6:27PM
Joy said...That last statement was rude and I'm sorry. I should have said "everybody will be at home." I'm also sorry you lost your job over your child but that would be under maternity leave and that's another topic.
3-13-2009 @ 10:52AM
Moselle said...Bitter much?
3-13-2009 @ 10:56AM
Joy said...Is who bitter much?
3-11-2009 @ 10:01PM
Mary said...I had plenty of time to pump, but my problem was finding a private place to do it. I refused to pump in the bathroom, I just thought that was unsanitary. I wouldn't eat my lunch in a public restroom, so I wasn't going to make my kid's lunch there :-)
I didn't have a private office, I worked in a cube farm, and was too modest about pumping to do it in almost full view of my co-workers. My boss was generous enough to give up his office for me twice a day but eventually I got to use an vacant office that had a door.
I really wish my company had a lounge or something attached to the restroom where I could have pumped. Pumping is NOT easy, you have to be able to relax and let it flow.
Ultimately, I think it is in the best interest of companies to allow mothers to pump at work, and to make as many accomodations as necessary. Breast fed kids get sick less often, meaning mom misses less work.
Reply
3-11-2009 @ 6:14PM
ame s said...A good quality double pump can do the job in 10 to 15 minutes.
While I don't think a woman should expect a company to allow her to pump while she's "on the clock", I do think they should attempt a compromise. Dock the mom's time spent pumping and/or allow her to split her lunch hour into 3 or 4 different segments throughout the day. It is a shame that Miss/Mrs./Ms. Allen's employers didn't offer either option.
I breastfed both of my daughters but don't consider it to be an illness, medical condition or medical necessity.
If this were a case of a man wanting/needing to masturbate on company time because he and his wife were trying to conceive, he would be laughed out of the office and out of the courtroom.
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3-11-2009 @ 8:46PM
SKL said...People have to get real. There are some jobs that can accommodate this level of flexibility and others that can't. When you take a job, you make a commitment. If you don't want to commit to the working conditions, don't take the job.
I have worked in factories and it is just ridiculous for an employee to expect the earth to stop turning because she wants to pump. Not only would it idle a number of people, but it would change the dynamics of the machinery and create a lot of scrap and wasted energy costs while the machines got back to their correct (non-idle) settings.
What this woman ought to do is negotiate a different position temporarily if she really needs that much flexibility. If she is with a large employer, most likely they would do this rather than lose a trained worker (assuming she's a good employee). If she's with a small company, it's too much to ask that company to incur significant expenses and potentially lose orders and compromise quality for this reason. That would not only punish the employer for something out of his/her control, but could also harm the other workers on the line. This woman obviously could care less about how her choices affect others; but the law should not back her up on this.
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3-11-2009 @ 10:10PM
penny said...I have worked with a woman who had to pump and lets say it wasn't easy. We worked child care, you can't just "take a break" to go pump. We have to keep ratio's and it just isn't possible unless you have a staff like we did who MADE it happen for her. And employers know that kids get sick, guess what my good friend breast fed her oldest for over a year and he is still in the hospital AT LEAST twice a year with RSV and ear infections, while I breast fed NONE of my children and I can count on both hands how many times I have had to take time off from work because of them being sick. Please refer to my second sentence, my children should have been the ones sick as a dog, you can't use that as an excuse.
Reply
3-12-2009 @ 6:08PM
ame s said...I don't think there is a connection between how often a formula-fed baby or breast-fed baby get sick,either. I breast fed both of mine. My older daughter didn't have so much as a case of sniffles until she was 1 maybe b/c she wasn't exposed to other children often. My younger had her first major cold-with-congestion at 6 weeks, after my 2 year old sneezed in her face.
I think it's just luck of the draw.
3-30-2009 @ 9:13PM
Esme said...Thank you! There are millions of us out there who didn't breastfeed and have perfectly healthy children. My son's only doctor visits until he was three were regular well baby visits and I didn't breastfeed at all. The only studies that show breastfed babies get sick less are put out there by groups that advocate very, very strongly for breastfeeding and their data is not gathered without bias.
If a woman has a job that will accomodate her to pump, great. If not then that's just too bad. I used to smoke and some places would let you dash out for 5-10 minutes every few hours, and some places you just couldn't....and that was that. Pumping, like smoking, is a personal choice....not a medical necessity.
3-12-2009 @ 11:11AM
Melissa said...This would not be an issue if the USA would get with the rest of the civilized world and pass legislation mandating paid maternity leave for a year.
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3-12-2009 @ 1:29PM
SKL said...That one-year leave doesn't solve a professional mom's problems. Most of them would not want to be out of the work force for a year - whether they nurse or not. Another thing - have you noticed how few women there are in "top" positions in those "progressive" countries, compared to the USA? They are afraid to put a woman in a high position if she's going to be absent for a year every time she has a kid; and I don't blame them. I say, let women figure out what they want and negotiate, because we're not all cut from the same mold.
3-12-2009 @ 10:03AM
Pavlina said...I pumped at work for close to TWO years. I have lived through the battles and fought in the trenches, so to speak. It was not easy, and while ALL my co-workers are men, they did help me out. I wasn't too proud or too disgusted to pump in bathrooms. I had to do it many times. Wet wipes are your friend! My job has so much travel, I was in so many airports. I have had security called into the bathroom while I pumped due to the "strange noises", I have had my breast-pump all but disassembled at security check points. I have missed pumping times and had engorged and painful breasts. I grew a tough skin and just learned to deal with it. It was my choice to make and i knew I could not expect everyone to lie down and accept it. I had to go at least half-way if I expected anyone to help me out.
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3-12-2009 @ 10:41AM
Mary Sullivan said...Well said! I nursed 3 kids, the first while working full-time, and ended up in some of the same weird situations you mention. Was was very lucky in that I had an office to pump in most of the time, but on the road or off site, it was tough. It never took more than 10-15 minutes, though. Like someone else posted, it goes faster if you're relaxed.
Nursing women are a major part of the workforce, and companies that care will try and accommodate them. It's a 50-50 thing, with both moms and employers having to give a little. Well worth it in the grand scheme.
This is a staff retention issue, really. Maybe in this awful economy, with more people competing for fewer jobs, some cos. will think they can let retention slide. That's not real smart, because it's much pricier to recruit and train someone new than keep a good employee you already have. Allowing some short breaks to pump seems like a no-brainer.
3-13-2009 @ 9:49PM
Heather said...First it doesn't take all day. It takes like 15 minutes 2x's a day. I did it on my breaks. I had my snack and pumped. Most places have a sick/ first aid room ( if not they should have one for safety reasons) it can be done there.
This wouldn't be much of an issue if the USA actually had maternity leave that matched 90% of the rest of the world. Then mom's could be home for 6 months to 1 year and it wouldn't be an issue.
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3-15-2009 @ 10:58AM
Ada said...When I read articles like this I am glad that I live in Puerto Rico. Here we have a law (Working mothers Protection Law) that requires employers to give extra time to nursing mothers so they can pump and or nurse their child. They also have to designate a place for this purpose. It most have a seating area and refrigerator among other things. It also must be clean and private.
Besides Puerto Rico there are 20 others states that have protection rights for breastfeeding mothers:
http://www.ncsl.org/programs/health/breast50.htm
3-15-2009 @ 5:15PM
Mary Sullivan said...Wow Ada--Fantastic info in that link! Thanks for posting it.
Mary
3-16-2009 @ 11:03AM
marymom said...Wow- all this about the woman's choice to have a baby and breastfeed,etc. I agree that the one year paid work leave would help matters. So, if women aren't given the highest positions therefore, that's also not nice, but it's up to her and how many babies she has, etc. We women have the harder road for sure.
It takes sperm also to make a baby, and men aren't punished for that. I think the fathers also want what's best for their babies but don't need to deal with the bodily issues of pregnancy and breastfeeding or not. But hey- the people I've noticed here on this board so far speaking against breastfeeding and pumping at work have been women, not men. Should mom's not be able to work? Some have to! Some need to! Not all women have partners helping them. I know so many women who's husbands left them while pregnant or after the baby came. Is welfare a better answer? Free daycare and formula only? Making women sign something that they won't have a baby, and the one's that do go out on the street and beg with the baby?
Breastfeeding, all the experts say, is the best choice for one's baby. And, hey- sufficient breaks for pumping might also be good for the other workers, giving them some quality rest and making them more productive when they do work, especially for hard, manual labor, but frankly, for everybody.
If people want the human race to continue, then they need to let women have babies and support their needs to take care of their babies. Sure, ti's a little pain, but it's a part of life. Otherwise, let's make women all stay at home. That's a great solution- NOT.
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