Helping moms and dads have healthy babies leads to an overall successful workforce.

Healthy Babies, Healthy Business – a DisruptHR talk by Laurie Meadows – Senior Community Director at March of Dimes

DisruptHR Cleveland 4 – February 4, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio #DisruptHRCle

Workplace standards your company can put in place to help moms and dads have healthy babies include:

– Positive work environment that is smoke and toxin free
– Make physical accommodations in the workplace for moms to be able to rest with their feet up throughout the day
– Flexible work schedule
– Make it possible for moms and dads to be able to leave work to get proper pre-natal and pediatric care
– Sponsor an EAP – many moms need extra guidance and support
– Provide provisions beyond the Family & Medical Leave Act – give moms and dads time to adjust – including adoptive parents
– Provide health insurance with providers who provide pre-conception health, pre-natal health and healthy well-checks for baby
– Provide information through blogs, apps and websites

Premature babies result in a multi-million dollar burden on businesses. The cost for a pre-mature baby averages $54,149 versus $11,413 for an uncomplicated pregnancy – not to mention the intangible costs such as absenteeism and lost productivity.

If companies don’t make it flexible for employees to manage work and family, then they might lose really valuable employees who ends up quitting their job to stay home with a fragile infant.