From BLR's Best Practices in Compensation & Benefits

Cathy Weatherford is the CEO and executive vice president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. She is responsible for more than 400 employees and 83 databases providing information to insurance companies, agencies, brokers, consumers, and regulators. She is a no-nonsense leader who commands the respect of everyone in the office.

Except, perhaps, the ones asleep in their cribs. They just consider her "Auntie Cathy."

The Infants at Work program, available in its present form thanks in large part to Weatherford, is one way a not-for-profit organization can attract and keep top talent. "Technology is so important to us," Weatherford says. "We're always competing here in Kansas City, where our executive headquarters is, for the best talent we possibly can. I can't compete with bonuses and private-sector salaries, so we try to find ways, mostly quality of life issues, to attract some of the best and brightest."

New mom gives birth to idea

Although creating a program where new parents can bring their infant to work with them is a practical program in terms of retention, this was not uppermost in Weatherford's mind when the program began to take shape.

"I was a statewide elected official in Oklahoma and had a baby while I was in office," she says. "I had to return to work in about 2½ or 3 weeks, so I just brought my baby with me for a couple of months. After that, other employees started asking me, 'Can I do that?' So we had a very informal program at the Oklahoma Insurance Department while I was there. When I came to this job in 1996, we looked at ways to reduce our turnover and to try to get some top talent here. So because the program had worked for me, and worked for attorneys and other professionals on my staff in Oklahoma, we decided to give it a try here."

"Thirty-seven babies have taken part in the program," Weatherford continues. "I have all 37 babies' photos with me in my Cathy's Brag Book that the parents made for me, and I keep it in my office. Four more are scheduled to come on board this winter." The babies can be at work with mom-or dad-until they are 6 months old. "The program brings about tremendous loyalty; people want to stay after participating." Managers like the program, because they see lower turnover. Employees like it, because they don't have to make a choice between bonding with their infant and continuing in their career.

Program should be 'formalized'

Weatherford has some suggestions for companies considering a program where employees bring their infants to work.

"It shouldn't be done in an ad hoc way," she says, "but should be a formalized program. Work with your employment lawyers and your insurance company. Our employees make application to be able to bring the baby into the workplace. The parent seeks an alternate caregiver, and the alternate caregiver signs off. It's almost a fight for people [co-workers] to get to be an alternate caregiver! If the parent is in a meeting or phone call, the baby will go to the alternate's office so meetings don't get disrupted, or you don't hear a baby in the background for phone calls.

"And we have a formal 'grievance' process. We have a room we've set aside that has a rocking chair and baby cribs. It's a private area so if you have a baby that gets a little cranky, you have a private place to go. There are changing tables in all of the restrooms, mens' and women's."

Can you expect full productivity from a new parent whose baby is right next to them at the office? No, says Weatherford, but you get two benefits you wouldn't have otherwise.

"We have found that many of our employees come back sooner after having a child or adopting a child. Before we did this, a new parent often took off 12 weeks. Now we're down to 8 weeks.

"You don't expect 100 percent productivity. But if they're here at 50 percent productivity, that's better than if they're not in the workplace at all. And ultimately, I think it's softened our workplace a little bit. It's really hard to be cranky and not very friendly when there's a sweet little baby sleeping in a crib in the office next to you. If I'm having a particularly bad day, just to go put my hand on the back of a sleeping infant, and to look down into that sweet face, you just take a deep breath and let is all go. You feel so much better."

That was Auntie Cathy talking.