Breastfeeding
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Penalized for Pumping at Work?
I was just notified today that I have to make up for the time I close my door to pump. I work 8-9 hour days and so have to pump at least 2-3 times during the day. Now I have to work extra hours to make up for the 20-minute sessions I spend behind closed doors. I've been back to work since June 15th and they just now bring this up.
Does anyone else have a situation similar to this? I also posted this on the 0-6 board.
Thanks!
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Re: Penalized for Pumping at Work?
I work for a 4-year college and I have to do some more research into the policy regarding breaks, but the fact that my boss brings this up now, just kind of makes me mad. I know our support staff gets breaks, but I'm professional staff and I don't know if it is stated explicitly in our handbook.
Like I am getting pinged for wanting to breastfeed. It sucks. It tops an already sucky week for me.
I work while I pump to an extent...I'll review time sheets, or something relatively 'mindless'. The time is unpaid in my state so I do need to work during those 'breaks' or else extend my day...so I choose to work to keep up my 40 hours.
But how strict is your job? Are you like a lawyer that bills your time down to the minute...or can you just do something 'work related' while pumping to get by?
I look up on this site but didn't find anything helpful: https://www.blisstree.com/babylune/breastfeeding-laws-for-your-state/
I would really encourage you to standup on this issue. With #1, I would eat at my desk - so if you assume 1 hour lunch "break", that would cover 2, 30 minute pumping sessions.
I would also examine the laws for your state and contact your HR department. Just curious, but do they make people who take frequent smoke breaks make their time up as well? I know at my job they don't and they take more breaks than non-smokers, so if this is the case at your job as well, I would bring this up.
Most labor laws require your job to allow you to take at least a 30 min lunch break and two 10 min breaks during an 8 hour shift. The 10 min are paid, the 30 min are not and you have to extend your work day to take the 30 min. I think the federal labor law allows for at least two 20 min breaks and they must be paid (i.e. you don't have to extend your work day). Check both your state labor laws and federal labor laws. These laws should be posted at your workplace for all employees to read.
However if you are doing work related stuff during your pumping (I check email, review reports, etc) then you shouldn't have to make up that time. Are you a salary employee? I personally would challenge my company if they brought this up and ask them to show proof that my performance is suffering as a result of taking breaks to pump. I would also ask that they require the entire company to 'make up time' for any breaks taken, otherwise they are discriminating because I am a nursing mother.
I'm sorry you're having to deal with this. I would also check your state's laws and then work with HR. I had to do that to get a locked, sanitary room to pump in and it worked out well. I also do take work with me while I pump - I just save any "reading" that I have to do or will reply to emails on my Blackberry. I can't tell if any of the PP's have posted this, but someone posted this link a while ago and it gave me what I needed to work with my HR department. I cut and pasted my state's laws and emailed them to our HR person and told her that I wasn't going to push it, but that I couldn't possibly be the first or last nursing mother in our company. The next week they gave me a private room with a lock to pump in. Good luck!
https://www.ncsl.org/IssuesResearch/Health/BreastfeedingLaws/tabid/14389/Default.aspx
I work at a college and am salaried. My performance has not suffered since coming back to work, so I am unsure of why she is bringing this up now except for the fact that she says she wants to keep things as equal as possible in our office and to make sure that we keep things accurate and documented.
There are plenty of women on this campus and a few are actually pregnant. I bet my last dollar, they won't be asked to do this.
I'm seriously considering pumping with my door open to make myself "available" and see how they like them apples!!
I do have a large chest, so it could get a bit interesting!
I am going to continue to look into our state laws and the policies outlined in our handbook, because this sucks, plain and simple.