Babies in the Workplace

From a parent standpoint, it is also much easier for a parent to cope with separation from a crawling (or nearly-crawling) baby than when the baby is completely helpless and dependent, so the transition to day care tends to be much easier than it would be if the baby were only 6 weeks or even three months of age.

Parents who can participate in baby programs tend to be extremely grateful to their companies for the opportunity and to work hard to ensure that their babies are not disruptive, that their work is done effectively and efficiently, and that the program works well from their coworkers' perspective. Parents become very loyal to their companies and want to give back to the organization, and they also work hard to ensure that the company will not feel compelled to stop allowing them to bring their babies to work.

A primary key to the success of baby programs is having clear guidelines for parents and coworkers, such as specifying that babies can't be disruptive, parents still need to get their work done, and coworkers can't just spend all day playing with babies instead of working. When expectations are made clear (and explicitly enforced, if necessary), people live up to those expectations and baby programs work extremely well and result in benefits for the business, coworkers, and parents.