To join the trend, companies urged to outline specific policies and develop liability contracts
When a key employee of a small business becomes pregnant, ensuring business continuity during her maternity leave - or in the case that she does not return to the company - can be an intimidating task.
To address this issue, some companies have begun to offer a unique business resource - the option to bring your infant to work.
As long as the programs are well-structured - which includes having detailed liability contracts and other necessary business forms - they are usually quite successful, reports Inc. magazine.
One small business owner who uses such a program noted that it does not impact productivity, because mothers are grateful for the opportunity and are therefore sure to make up the work they miss by tending to their infant.
"It's so beneficial for businesses to offer this because it makes it much less likely that the parent is going to quit," Carla Moquin, founder of the Parenting in the Workplace Institute, told the magazine. "And it costs the company almost nothing."
Another option for helping new mothers achieve a healthy work-life balance is offering a telecommuting work arrangement, a strategy that has grown in popularity during the recession as businesses turn to flexible work arrangements in order to cut overhead costs.
