Crying babies: They’re not just for crowded airline flights anymore.
On Thursday, Gov. Phil Scott, Vermont Secretary of Administration Susanne Young and Human Resources Commissioner Beth Fastiggi announced a new Infants in the Workplace program for state employees. The policy, which takes effect on February 1, will allow state workers to bring their infant children, ages 6 weeks to 6 months, to work.
In an announcement, Fastiggi cited research on early childhood development showing that keeping parent and child together during the first few months of life is linked to healthier brain development for the baby, an improved sense of wellbeing for the parent and diminished time lost from the workplace.
The policy applies to employees who wish to return to work after the birth, adoption or foster placement of infants.
Similar policies elsewhere led to increased employee retention and better morale, Young said in the announcement.
For sure, bringing the kiddos to work is certainly a more affordable daycare option for many cash-strapped civil servants — who could face plenty of trouble finding childcare in Vermont anyway. And nothing increases office teamwork like a stinky diaper in dire need of rapid disposal.
Lest anyone is concerned about the welfare of the babies themselves, the state issued an accompanying six-page policy statement clarifying who may bring their infants to work, when and where.
For instance, the state worker must be the legal parent or guardian of the office baby. In other words, no running a daycare center out of the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Also, said civil servant cannot bring their infant into a work environment that would pose a direct threat to the child’s safety or wellbeing. So, don’t expect any state troopers or plow drivers to be radioing in an “urgent code brown” from Interstate 89.
Sick children are not permitted in the workplace, and all babies must be current on their vaccination schedule. Otherwise, state government could be brought to its knees by some nasty medieval pox that should have been eradicated decades ago.
Supervisors must allow lactating mothers the time and a private place to nurse or pump milk. And “the infant shall be located primarily at the parent’s workstation” — i.e., not left in a break room or stairwell, nor raced against other infants up and down the corridors of the National Life building.
Finally, “disruptive infants are not permitted in the workplace.”
Um, they are familiar with the concept of babies, correct?
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And how is anyone supposed to prevent their baby from being disruptive? Millions of us on 8-hour flights would love to know!
Really…that is the photo you chose!? Could you have chose a less appropriate photo that shows a dad (which I am thinking is the minority of working parents w/ infants) and a bawling baby who is not even coming close to being cared for.
Way to sway your readers that you don’t like or agree with the new law!
NOT impressed. #stopthosedistruptiveinfants — is that a joke??
I used to take my kids to work all the time back in the 1990s. Why is this even a question nearly 25 yrs later? You quickly develop a routine and it ends up far less disruptive for the company than if the parents’ work gets backlogged as a result a kid’s school is having a snow day. Work backlogs can have a snowball effect that affects many people’s schedules in a way that having a little one in the building doesn’t.
Maybe there are some work from home options that can be extended during this time as well. The cost of daycare can be crippling for those who are not one of the millions able to afford 8-hour flights all over the world.
If someone can bring their dog into a restaurant so it doesn’t have to sleep while no one is home then I don’t mind if someone can smartly bring an infant to work to help the family out.
There are people in the world who love babies and people in the world who hate them. Clearly Ken Picard is of the latter distinction. ALL BABIES DO NOT CRY OR FUSS ALL THE TIME KEN! Also, a huge reason the they cry or fuss? They need to be fed (hopefully nursed) or held. Were talking about very small infants here who most likely will benefit from being in a sling next to mom all day while she stands or sits at a work station. Ive done it and its totally compatible. Plus, coworkers love passing the baby around at meetings. Talk about stress relief. Babies can add value to the workplace Ken, ever think about that? I am ashamed at Seven Days for allowing this baby hater to write this article. Bringing babies to work not only ensures work productivity for the parent, but ensures HEALTHY ATTACHMENT for the baby. Clearly Ken missed that part of his childhood, else hed be a little more sympathetic to this issue and new legislation.
Hey, gang. It’s a humorous take on the governor’s rather progressive public policy announcement that state employees, like my wife, can now take their babies to work. But clearly I must be a total baby hater because my wife and I had only two of them instead of a baker’s dozen. But if you’d like further confirmation, I’m happy to post oodles of photos of my kids when they were still infants and doing things other than fussing, crying, throwing up (often on my shoulder) and messing their diapers which, I should note, I changed at all hours of the day and night for years until they were old enough to land it in the vicinity of the toilet.
Really poor choice of photo and unnecessarily snarky reporting on what is a great announcement by the State of Vermont. This policy wont work for everyone, but it will work for many. I would have loved to have this option when I was a new mother. Please report the news and leave the negativity/snark out of it.
The benefits and drawbacks of this policy will be immediately apparent to any one in the work environment.
Oh for Gods sake, now the office becomes a daycare center. As it is now, people without children in my office are picking up the slack for parents who are constantly out with snow days, school in service days, school holidays and out with children who have the sniffles (some of these children are well into their teens and way past the age when daddy or mommy needs to stay home to tend to their sniffles). Now, as parents are allowed to bring babies and toddlers into the workplace, were going to have to pick up the slack while they attend to their little darlings every need during the workday. Further, babies ARE disruptive and anyone who says they arent is just lying. The office has been one of the few places people can go where they dont have to listen to someone elses screaming kid and now thats kaput. Why should I have to work in the middle of a daycare center because someone else made the decision to have children? And yes, I dont like children and like even less the parents who inflict their children on the rest of us.
Ken, clearly your humor failed in this article. Andy Borowitz you are not. Nowhere does it come across that this is supposed to be a humor piece. And honestly, moms get judged enough and having a man be snarky about babies in the workplace just isnt funny. We dont need to give people more excuses to judge moms at work with their babies. Perhaps you should rethink the tone and style of this article. I believe it deserves more serious and positive reporting.
Hey Ken,
I found a more realistic picture of a Vermont worker with her baby at work. Search The Golden Cage Project. If you won’t, it’s a picture of a dairy worker’s infant resting in a carseat and suspended in colorful protective netting to keep the cow dung and pus from spraying the human child. Not exactly stroller races in the statehouse, but usable I guess. You’ve got a humanitarian issue here, Ken.
Rafael Macias