Creating A Maternal And Child Health Benefit Model

Creating a maternal and child health benefit model is a gutsy move for any company depending on how far the company is willing to go.Maternity leave, Paternity leave, tine for breastfeeding or pumping and child care are just some of the components that might go into a maternal and child health benefit model.

Motherhood starts well before the child is conceived.Those women who have good health habits will have healthier children.A company that is looking to address the health problems of mothers and their children would do well to start with preventing those problems.By instituting a health and wellness program that focuses on nutrition and exercise especially for women, the company is helping its employees establish and reinforce healthy habits.This program should be accompanied by a change in what is offered at the company for food choices.Vending machines should no longer dispense soda and donuts.Cafeterias should focus on a whole food, plant based diet service.This benefit can be experienced by men and women alike, so the company can actually experience a healthier workforce and possibly reduce its health insurance expenditures, as well as reduce sick days used.
Being pregnant creates a whole new set of health concerns and discomforts.As long as the company's health insurance is adequate and sick leave is available, the only thing that the company may want to consider is celebrating the pregnancy.Celebrations help build a corporate culture and tie people to a team.It is also a good time to review the maternal leave policy with the person involved.The company should also consider a paternal leave policy for its fathers.
Childcare is one of the most expensive things that a family will have to pay for in order to work.Combine that with the idea that a child should be raised by parents instead of babysitters, and a company stands a good chance of losing valuable employees - both men and women.By offering six weeks of maternity and six weeks of paternity leave the company will be offering parents the opportunity to spend time with their most precious child, and it will be setting itself up as a responsible corporate citizen that appreciates its employees.
One step up would be to provide child care on the premises or alternatively allow the child to be brought to work during the first couple of months.Child care on the premises allows the mother to visit and breastfeed the child when necessary.Breast milk is the healthiest form of nourishment for any child between birth and up to five years old.In western society, it is unseemly to breast feed children past the age of about two, that doesn't mean that it shouldn't be done.If the child is not allowed at work, then it is important to provide time, space and storage for a mother who wants to pump so that the child can be nourished even when she is not at home.
Childcare can extend through the age that children go to school full time.That allows the parents to visit the child for lunch and to spend more time with them even while at work.Children need time with their parents to be able to grow into caring adults.
While the children are in school, the workplace should encourage parents to partake in their children's lives.This may mean that the company will need to let the parent's go home early and not work overtime, but in the end, the company gets a happier, more fulfilled and more productive employee who will be loyal to the job.