How to support breastfeeding parents returning to work

Key takeaways

The right to combine breastfeeding and paid work is protected under the Federal Sex Discimination Act 1984.
It's important to prepare yourself to have a conversation about breastfeeding before the parent returns for leave – but remember to handle this sensitively! Ask, don't assume.
Keep checking in with your employee once they're returned to work.
Remember, supporting your staff through this time can have enormous benefits to your overall business.

There are many elements to the return to work as a new parent. And, if you’ve followed our toolkit so far, chances are your employee is feeling well supported. When it comes to breastfeeding, you may have already started thinking about what this could look like in your business. And, if you haven’t, don’t worry – read on to learn how you can support returning parents.

Every parent makes choices with the best interests of their infant in mind. There are many reasons that parents may choose to either breastfeed and/or formula-feed infants, and it’s important to be sensitive to this. For many breastfeeding parents, their choice can driven by health benefits, and they can feel fiercely protective of continuing to deliver these benefits.

However, we know from research that even in organisations with clear return-to-work policies and provisions for breastfeeding, many parents can feel powerless to get the support they need to breastfeed or express at work, which can have significant impacts to their perinatal mental health and can lead to early cessation of breastfeeding. This in turn can lead to depressive symptoms, feelings of disappointment, decreased productivity, loyalty and potentially even higher turnover.

So what can you, as an employer, do to help?

The legal obligations

First of all, it’s worth remembering that the right to combine breastfeeding and paid work is protected under the Federal Sex Discrimination Act 1984.

Under the Act it is unlawful to treat a person less favourably because they are breastfeeding, or treat a person less favourably based on their status as a parent.

It is also generally against the law to refuse to make arrangements to support breastfeeding (that includes expressing milk, which can take anywhere between 10 minutes to an hour), if they are reasonable. For example, it may be discrimination if you do not provide your employee with suitable facilities or work breaks for breastfeeding or expressing milk, if you make your employee feel uncomfortable about breastfeeding, or if you tell your employee they need to wean their baby before they return to work.

Further to this, not making arrangements to assist employees to breastfeed may also be a breach of work health and safety laws.

Note: While breastfeeding breaks do not have to be paid under Australian law, you may want to consider doing so as an extra way to support your employee.

Before the first conversation

It’s important to understand that supporting your breastfeeding employees not only supports good mental health, but also benefits your business – we'll go into more detail on that below – so it’s in your best interest to have the right plans in place.

Breastfeeding can be a sensitive topic, so it’s worth treading with care and respect. Avoid commenting on or making assumptions about a parent’s feeding approach. Instead, start by demonstrating your support before your employee goes on leave. You might say: “I want you to know that if you choose to breastfeed, we will support that as you return to work.”

Next, as the return date approaches, set up a time to discuss organisational supports needed as the employee transitions back into the workplace. You might want to think about:

Spending some time familiarising yourself with the legal protections that are in place for breastfeeding people.
Any practical needs parents may have on the return to work (such as a private space to feed with a lockable door, a comfortable chair, access to a powerpoint, access to a fridge etc.) and how you might help with that. Depending on your workspace, you may need to be creative about how to manage this. The most important thing here is to take a supportive approach. While some practicalities may be hard to meet, your support is what matters most here.
How you’ll offer your returning employee the flexibility they need to support breastfeeding, and how that will be communicated to other staff in the organisation. You’ll also need to think about resourcing – that means making sure your breastfeeding employee has the time they need to meet infant feeding needs and any supporting employees understand how they can contribute to creating a culture of support. You can read more about influencing your employees in this area here.

That first conversation

Remember, ask, don’t assume! Choosing whether to breastfeed or not when returning to work (and before) is a very personal decision.

For some people, their breastfeeding journey may have been particularly challenging and they may be dealing with feelings of disappointment or regret if they were unable to meet their breastfeeding goals. For this reason, sensitivity and support in these conversations is key.

So, how do you start the conversation?

First, broach the topic in the context of a broader return-to-work conversation. You might want to start with, “Is there anything we can do to support this transition?”.
It can be worth explicitly asking an employee what they need. For example, “Are there any infant feeding needs that we need to be aware of?”. Note the use of the term ‘infant feeding needs’ rather than ‘breastfeeding’ in these early conversations.
Then, if the employee does have infant feeding needs, spend some time understanding the parent’s goals for breastfeeding as they return to work (if they haven’t yet thought about them, you can share this resource with them). The important thing here is – again – ask, don’t assume. What worked for one employee may not work for another. Remember, everyone’s journey is different. Every baby is different.

As a leader, you have a key role in ensuring your business supports breastfeeding employees. This means showcasing support to all your employees, and helping your wider team share in creating that culture of support. See our factsheet for further guidance.

Keep checking in

Once a plan is in place, make a time to check in on what’s working and what’s not working. Breastfeeding needs will change and eventually reduce, so it’s important to keep having these conversations as frequency of feeds and timing of feeds may change.

This will allow you to tweak things as you go to ensure the employee is feeling supported. You might consider making this a regular agenda item in your return-to-work catch ups.

Remember, it’s important to communicate any changes that will impact the wider team to all employees – when applicable – to keep that culture of support going.

How will this benefit my organisation?

Looking after the mental health and wellbeing of your employees is always important, and this extends to support breastfeeding parents. Organisations that do this will realise the benefits in:

Reduced absenteeism – research indicates that breastfeeding support can help to reduce absenteeism.

Increased retention – research indicates that breastfeeding parents who are supported by their employers are more likely to return to work.
Increased productivity and loyalty – organisations that support breastfeeding have seen improved morale, better satisfaction and higher productivity.
Demonstrated legislation compliance (Sex Discrimination; OHS and Equal Opportunity/EOWA reporting).
A demonstrated commitment to workplace diversity; employee health and wellbeing; and corporate social responsibility – did someone say employer of choice?

Remember, your support can make all the difference in the life of a new parent.

Ongoing support

To access further resources to help you create a supportive breastfeeding culture, view the Australian Breastfeeding Association’s resources for workplaces.
If your returning employee needs support, you can refer them to the Australian Breastfeeding Association where they will be able to access advice and support with breastfeeding in the workplace. Employees can contact the National Breastfeeding Helpline (1800 686 268) or visit the Australian Breastfeeding Association site.

_{This resource was developed in consultation with Associate Professor Elaine Burns and Dr Sky Hugman, Western Sydney University.}