More US companies allow moms to bring babies to work
HOUSTON -- For many working moms out there, the commute is especially long. There's traffic getting to the office and traffic getting to daycare.
One Houston PR company has an 'unconventional' way they're helping moms with their commute.
Alexis Herron rolled into work with 4-month old Jett in tow.
"I don't spend my day wondering what he is doing, being concerned about what he's doing," Herron said.
Jett stays by her side or over her shoulder at Medley Inc., the Houston marketing company where she works. Alexis says keeping him here eases her mind.
"It eases up my commute a lot. A lot of times you have to go to daycare and you have to explain everything and that's taking up time for me getting on the road and getting through traffic," she said.
Medley is part of a growing trend. Some 200 companies and organizations in the US have "Babies at Work" policies according to the Parenting in the Workplace Institute. It's a perk that saves money, stress and time for working moms.
Cynthia Murga says she gets back an hour and a half a day just by skipping the drive to daycare.
"Not only was I coming to the downtown area, the baby was going to daycare in the opposite direction," Murga said. "A lot of daycares have a certain time you have to be back to be by to pick up the baby, so it was always an anxiety that I had, making sure that I left the office on time."
The office is set up so that the moms and the babies are never more than a few feet apart; just behind a wall there is a nursery complete with a rocker and cribs.
Next to the coffee pot, you will also find bottle warmers.
"I still feel like I get to continue that bond with her," said Murga.
An on-staff baby sitter also helps out so that everyone can stay on-task and get in and out of the office faster.
"Without that though, I'd have to make a stop, and that would make my commute a little bit longer, and you never know what you are going to run into with Houston traffic," said Herron.
"Babies at Work" may not work for all offices but for Medley, Inc. the working moms say - it is amazing.
