Breastfeeding and work: companies still lagging behind

This year World Breastfeeding Week focuses on the theme of reconciling breastfeeding and work. In this context, VanillaMilk, a breastfeeding information and networking platform, conducted the survey on this topic.

Insufficient conditions…

VanillaMilk’s survey was conducted on LinkedIn in September and only 3% of respondents participated as an employer or line manager. It is therefore rather the employees themselves who take part in this inventory.

In this panel, only 3 out of 10 employees were able to benefit from support from their company to continue breastfeeding. Some even talk about being pushed aside or even moral harassment. Furthermore, more than 15% have had to express milk in the toiletfor lack of anything better.

Many interviewees preferred not to raise the topic with their employer, either providing for themselves or prolonging their absence through parental leave, furlough or medical leave. However, the Code of the job allows two 30 minute unpaid breaks per day, so that employees can express milk or breastfeed their baby, for the entire first year.

Marie pumped milk for 3 1/2 months when she returned to work. When she traveled to clients daily, the logistics were complicated to set up. “ I informed my manager before my return, I had initially asked to only have half day missions, to be able to shoot at home at the beginning and end of the morning. He agreed, but it only lasted a few weeks before he routinely sent me on day trips. »

Marie therefore had to organize herself every day with new clients, who had not been informed in advance, asking them for a room to express milk during the lunch break. “ This gave conditions that ranged from perfect, set up in the infirmary, to frankly not great, in a room with no heat in the dead of winter. And when I was on my company premises, I sat in the PRM bathrooms, because it was the only place without glass and silent. Sometimes I also shot in the car.

I didn’t feel supported by my business and my wellbeing took a hit. It’s tiring to assert your rights, day after day, and I am convinced that these unsuitable sampling conditions contributed to shortening my breastfeeding. I could only shoot once a day when I should have done it twice. I was finding it increasingly difficult to pump enough to fill the nursery bottles. After one last pump that produced almost nothing, I decided to stop and switch to mixed breastfeeding. It wasn’t enough to continue breastfeeding, my little girl cried with hunger after feedings, so I finally weaned her at 8 months, just a month after she stopped expressing milk. »

Raphaëlle pumped breast milk for 4 months at work and didn’t dare talk to her manager about it. “ My manager is not in the same agency as me, we have little contact and I have never met with HR. I didn’t really know who to contact to get a room, as HR told me to see on site. I was also afraid of being judged, since my daughter was “already” 7 months old.. Since all the rooms are glass, I flushed the toilet. »

Unfortunately, it did not cope very well with these drawing conditions. “ It was clean and I had access to a water point, but I wasn’t very well accommodated, I couldn’t get into the bubble and felt like it was affecting my milk supplywhich was quite weak compared to my daughter’s needs. »

…due to lack of information and communication

91% of respondents had never seen information mentioning breastfeeding within their company and 78% did not benefit from any parenting support system. For Stephanie Habensteinfounder of VanillaMilk, passive communication from the employer could however shake things up.

“ Mothers don’t necessarily dare tell their employers about their desire to express milk, and employers think it’s not their place to talk about it. But without communication, for years, nothing has changed. It is sometimes said that the solution would be to extend maternity leave, but many mothers don’t want that. Some therefore opt for short-term breastfeeding, because they are told that it is not compatible with the professional environment.. However, a simple mention of breastfeeding as part of a corporate parenting support policy would open a door for these mothers, who would feel justified in requesting a room in which to express their milk. »

But breastfeeding is just missing from corporate parenting policies.. “ I’ve spoken to many people who support companies as part of parenting support policies, and none of them address the issue of breastfeeding. »

But is the image all black? Is it necessarily a struggle to want to continue breastfeeding while pumping at work? Stéphanie Habenstein wants to be reassuring.

“The goal of this survey is both to promote companies that talk openly about breastfeeding and facilitate its continuation after maternity leave, and to inspire other companies. It is quite possible to breastfeed business, but let’s not talk about it. We have many testimonies from people who have encountered difficulties, but we rarely hear from those who have gone well, although there are some. I just want to show the positive side and what is possible. »

How can we better support breastfeeding employees?

For Stéphanie Habenstein, HR has a real economic interest in supporting breastfeeding employees. According to the survey, 30% of them prefer to find a way to extend their maternity leave, to continue breastfeeding, which is not in the interests of companies.

To signal that the word is open internally on this topic, companies can then put up a physical sign that talks about breastfeeding. This information may also be indicated on the intranet, in the area dedicated to employee well-being or parental support. Documentation can also be given to employees before they go on maternity leave.

Regarding the conditions of the breast pump, employees who request it must also be provided with a locked room, hidden from view. And companies can even go further by installing a refrigerator or not canceling payment for breastfeeding breaks. As for mothers, they should feel free to raise the topic, as soon as they are pregnant, with their manager or with human resources.

For the wedding, the key to ensuring a breast pump at work works well is to stand up for your rights, but also to be well equipped. “ You need a good refrigerator to store expressed milk at home, and above all a high-performance portable breast pump! »

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