Some Companies Adding New Perks For Working Moms
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - From flexible hours to giving away expensive bassinets to shipping breast milk, many companies are offering a lot more these days to keep talented workers - especially moms.
CBS2's Andrea Grymes explains all about these new perks.
For Molly Ernst-Alper, being a full-time working mom of two little girls is not always easy.
"It's hard. It's a lot of work," Ernst-Alper said.
She recently came back from maternity leave to her job at Unilever, the parent company of brands like Dove and Lipton.
Going on that first business trip came with some trepidation.
"There was a little anxiety of 'Should I? Should I not?' And that's when I remembered Unilever had Milk Stork," Ernst-Alper said.
Her company pays for their breastfeeding moms to use a service called Milk Stork, which ships breast milk in special coolers, so traveling moms can still pump and ensure their supply gets safely home.
"It's just a huge relief to have that," Ernst-Aper said.
Unilever also offers beautiful "Mothers Rooms" with hospital-grade breastfeeding pumps at their New Jersey headquarters, plus 16 weeks of paid maternity leave, plus flexible hours and a backup day care service.
"We have so many fantastic women who a lot of times leave the workforce around the childbearing years, and so we wanted to do something that can retain and keep them growing," said Veronica Velazquez of Unilever.
It's not just Unilever. Companies across the country are offering a lot more working parent perks these days to keep talented employees, CBS2's Andrea Grymes reported.
Like the Snoo Smart Sleeper. It's a $1,300 bassinet that some companies are giving their new parents so everyone sleeps.
Others, like the company Button in Gramercy, give their employees a six month Snoo rental. KKR, a Midtown investment firm, has a childcare travel program. The firm pays for their workers who are primary caregivers to bring their baby and a babysitter on essential business trips until their child turns 1.
"Millenial parents are asking for what they need, and companies are hearing them," said Meredith Bodgas, editor-in-chief of Working Mother magazine. She says companies are realizing more perks makes better business sense.
"Because it costs about a salary and a half to replace somebody. Because you might pay for recruiters. You have to pay to get someone up to speed and trained. It's actually cheaper for companies to hire nannies, hire caregivers to join these moms on the work trips," Bodgas said.
For moms like Ernst-Alper, the extra support makes all the difference.
"We're actually able to balance more instead of compromising work over being a mom," she said.
Bodgas says it doesn't hurt to ask if you'd like your company to offer more. She says to talk to other parents at your job and do your research before making the case for extra perks.
