Mothers working for Goldman Sachs will no longer have to pump and dump on the road.
The investment bank will now pay for women to ship breast milk home when they’re traveling for business, according to a company memo provided to CNN.
Goldman will sign up US employees for MilkShip, a service from LifeCare, that will allow them to ship breast milk overnight in a refrigerated shipping kit. The kit will be delivered directly to their hotel room anywhere in the world.
The memo said that nursing employees based outside the United States will be reimbursed for the cost of refrigerating and shipping their milk when traveling.
The initiative was first reported by London’s Evening Standard.
While the benefit is rare, Goldman Sachs (GS) is not the only major company to offer it to employees. The consultancy EY initiated a similar program in 2007, and it was followed by IBM (IBM) in 2015.
Laura Young, the global head of wellness at Goldman, said in the memo that being a parent can “bring its own unique set of challenges.”
“We continuously look to provide our people with programs and services to support them in navigating the day-to-day issues that arise while empowering them with the tools to be successful at home and at work,” she said.
The World Health Organization and UNICEF recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a baby’s life.
But women in the United States are not guaranteed paid maternity leave, and some mothers find it difficult to breastfeed while working.
Statistics from 2015 showed that less than 50% of infants in the United States were exclusively breastfed through the first three months, while only 25% were through six months.
“These rates suggest that mothers may not be getting the support they need from health care providers, family members, and employers to meet their breastfeeding goals,” said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Goldman provides US employees with 16 weeks of paid maternity leave. The investment bank offers six months paid leave in the United Kingdom.
CNNMoney (London) First published August 21, 2018: 10:38 AM ET
