Business Case for Breastfeeding

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Florida Breastfeeding Friendly Employer Award

The Florida Breastfeeding Friendly Employer Recognition Program is an award program to recognize businesses that are providing support in the workplace to their breastfeeding employees. Businesses will be evaluated based on a set of criteria for three levels of breastfeeding support: Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Businesses that meet the criteria outlined in the above brochure and application will be recognized with a certificate and recognition on this web site.

Benefits:

Companies that provide time and space for women to express their milk when they are in the workplace and apart from their babies have been proven to enjoy significant cost savings, including:

Lower Rates of Absenteeism

When babies are sick less often, parents require fewer days of sick leave to care for them. One-day absences occur more than twice as often for mothers of formula fed infants (Cohen 1995).

Lower Health Care Costs

When babies are healthier, workplaces save on health care costs and medical claims. One study of employees found that for every 1,000 babies not breastfed, there were 2,033 excess physician visits, 212 excess hospitalization days, and 609 excess prescriptions for three illness alone –ear infections and respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses–(Ball 1999). Another study showed that among employees’ infants who were never sick, 86 percent were breastfed (Cohen 1994).

Better Retention of Employees

Businesses that provide employee lactation support programs can enjoy a reduction in their turnover rates of women who do not return to work after maternity leave. One company estimated a savings of $75,000 per employee who returned to work after childbirth (EEO Trust 2001).

Higher Productivity and Company Loyalty

Companies that provide a supportive environment for breastfeeding employees may find that employees are more productive and committed to the organization (Galtry 1997).