The Union County Health Department is considering a policy that will allow parents to bring their young children to work.
During the Union County Board of Health meeting Wednesday, members gauged interest in implementing an infant at work policy.
The policy would allow parents to bring children to work until they are six months old, as long as the child is not yet mobile and is not experiencing any illness.
Union County Health Commissioner Jason Orcena said not all positions would be eligible based on their responsibilities. He added that there are multiple protections and restrictions that would help prevent the child from hindering job performance or becoming a distraction to others.
Additionally, if the parent has a conference or meeting that would last an hour or longer, they would not be able to bring the child to work on that day. If the baby would become ill in the office, it would have to be taken home.
Orcena said the policy would not require any additional staff to facilitate the program, but parents would be required to sign an agreement and identify other staff members who are able to help care for the baby.
While speaking about preliminary research on the policy, Orcena touted its potential benefits for the Health Department and its employees.
He said it would allow parents to spend more time with their child during infancy and would create a softer transition between maternity or paternity leave and returning to work. The program could also be used as a recruiting tool for hiring younger staff who may be considering starting families, he added.
Orcena also said there has been a positive response to infant-at-work policies at other health departments and partner organizations. As a result, he said a “pool of folks” at the Union County Health Department are interested in the policy.
The policy aligns with existing values of the Union County Health Department, according to Orcena, since the department supports breastfeeding and is flexible with employees who are young mothers.
“This (policy) takes to a natural conclusion what we’re already doing with our breastfeeding policy,” Orcena said.
Jennifer Thrush, Public Information Officer at the Union County Health Department, voiced support for the policy based on her experience returning to work after giving birth.
“I’ve always been supported by supervisors as far as doing what I need to do as a breastfeeding mom, with this policy or not,” Thrush said. “But obviously this policy would be nice.”
Board members Donna Burke and Tiffany Wood also voiced support based on personal experience, while other members agreed that it is worth further exploration.
The infant-at-work policy will continue to be discussed at the board meeting in July, when an official resolution could be presented.