Lactation Friendly Workplace Recognition Program - For Employers

Position your organization as a leader in providing family-friendly and gender-equality practices for your employees.

What it Means to be Recognized as a Lactation Friendly Workplace

Being a Lactation Friendly Workplace demonstrates an organization’s commitment to supporting families, assists parents in achieving their breast/chestfeeding goals and creates a positive, family-friendly image for your business in the community. It is also a strategic way to attract, retain, and engage employees.

Tangible benefits to employees and employers

Why Become a Lactation Friendly Workplace

Increase employee retention rates

94% of employees return to their company after maternity leave if offered a lactation support program, compared with the national average of only 59% (CDC).

Parents resign from work so that they can continue to breastfeed. Staff turnover frequently results in a loss of skilled employees, lower productivity, decreased morale across the company, and excess costs to hire replacements.

Become an employer of choice

Over 90% of Colorado families choose to initiate breastfeeding; however, this number decreases significantly when parents return to work.

You can give employees and potential candidates confidence about the quality of breastfeeding support provided in the workplace.

3 to 1 return on investment

Lactation Friendly Workplaces have healthier work forces, overall better morale, and increased return on investment due to:

Lower health care costs since parents and babies are sick less often
Reduced rate of absenteeism due to infant illness (among both mothers and fathers)
Lower turnover rates
Improved employee productivity and loyalty

Ready? Get Started Here

Being a Lactation Friendly Workplace ensures that employers are following all state and federal laws related to lactation support. To be recognized, employers are required to have a lactation policy, a private, prioritized space for pumping, and allow adequate time for their employees to nurse or express milk.

Follow the steps below – find many templates and resources to guide you.

Foundational Steps

Know the Laws. Read Now
Watch the 15 minute Employer Training video. View Now Printable Slide Deck
Review the Supporting Breastfeeding at Work toolkit. Read Now

Need someone to help with these steps? Request an Advocate

Assess Current Practices

The self-assessment tool is intended to assess the current state of your organization and identify areas for improvement.

If your self-assessment* results indicate that you meet the qualifications to apply, please skip to Step 4 below.

*A copy of your final assessment must be submitted with your recognition application.

View Self-Assessment

Action Plan

Utilize your self-assessment results to identify action steps for achieving Lactation Friendly Workplace recognition. Consider using this tool to support your discussion. Note: this link will download a word document to your computer/device.

This is for your internal use only. You do not have to submit.

Download Action Plan

Create a Lactation Policy and Space

Utilize these tools to create a lactation policy* and lactation space(s)*: FAQ, Policy Templates, Lactation Space Ideas, Other Resources (Colorado Law, Signage, Benefits, etc.)

If your organization has multiple locations, utilize the lactation space survey to assess the needs of all sites.

*Photos of your lactation space and a copy of your policy must be submitted with your recognition application.

Create a Communications Plan

This template can be used as a guide in developing a Communications Plan*.

*A copy of your communications plan must be submitted with your recognition application.

Download Communications Plan

Evidence Guide Review

Review the Evidence Guide to ensure that you qualify in all three recognition categories (policy, time, and space) outlined in Step 3. Your lactation policy must include all required elements. If your initial self-assessment did not qualify you for recognition, please re-take the Self-Assessment* (Step 1 above).

View Evidence Guide

Submit Application Online

This application requires an upload of your:

Communications Plan
Lactation Policy
Lactation Space photos, and
Self-Assessment. If you took the assessment twice, please include only your qualifying assessment.

Open Online Application

Application Reviewed by COBFC Quarterly

Applications received January 1 – March 31: Responses sent to applicants in April
Applications received April 1 – June 31: Responses sent to applicants in July
Applications received July 1 – September 30: Responses sent to applicants in October
Applications received October 1 – December 31: Responses sent to applicants in January

Submit Your Lactation Friendly Workplace Recognition Application

Additional Program Resources

Benefits of Lactation Support

Resources to help build your business case to be a Lactation Friendly Workplace:

Lactation Space Ideas

Here you’ll find several examples of lactation space ideas, images, furnishings, and listings for the workplace:

Policy Templates

Here you’ll find several word document templates to initiate your policies and documents:

State and Federal Law Documents

Law documents surrounding lactation in the workplace:

Recognition Process Documents

This folder contains common FAQ’s, all the self assessment and templates mentioned in the review process above:

Professional Organization Links

Below are links various recognized third party organizations regarding breastfeeding and chestfeeding in the workplace:

Signage

Printable signage that you can use to promote your recognized lactation friendly workplace:

Colorado Breastfeeding Coalition - Lactation Friendly Workplace Recognition Program - Two hands and puzzle pieces

Request an Advocate

Need Someone To Help? Reach out to us for a Lactation Friendly Workplace Advocate to support your business through the process of obtaining Lactation Friendly Workplace Recognition.

Email us at Lactation-Friendly@cobfc.org

Lactation Friendly Workplace Recognition Program – For Employers