The program allows new parents to bring infants to work with them until the baby is six to eight months old or until the baby is crawling.

Sallen says Valley CU first introduced the program as a six-month pilot since five of the credit union's then 75 employees were due to be out on maternity leave. Considering that under California law new parents can take up to seven months off and keep their jobs it would have been too many positions to fill with temporary staffers and would have had a huge impact on the credit union's efficiency says Sallen.

"We know we aren't going to have 100% productivity, but it is better than not having these employees there at all," said Sallen.

Before program launch Sallen selected a focus group consisting of single, married, older staffers along with those employees with children and without, to find out all the reasons why such a program wouldn't work. "It was important to get input from across the credit union and they came up with the same things I'd been thinking like crying all the time, dirty diapers, they'd be a distraction, no work would be done," said Sallen. Deciding to move ahead Sallen says the credit union initially bought baby changing tables for all locations, checked with the insurance carrier to develop a policy and liability waiver for parents to sign and had an employee law attorney thoroughly review everything.

"About five babies went through the trial program and we sent out a survey to all employees and everyone loved it. The only `negative' comment was that we needed to have more babies in the office," said Sallen. "We've also gotten positive feedback from members-in fact one member who was going to close her account stopped by one of our branches saw a baby there, asked what was going on and when she learned what we were doing she changed her mind about closing the account because we were the type of organization she wanted to do business with."

Parents are limited to two pieces of baby equipment each from a portacrib or stroller to a bouncy seat. Valley CU also has one portacrib and baby swing that is available for anyone's use. Part of the policy includes a provision for a job swap so if a parent-mom or dad-wants to bring their baby into work, but their job is not conducive to having a child there they can request a volunteer to switch jobs with them.

Valley CU has since seen some 42 babies go through the program and when the credit union moved into a new building three years ago it included a baby care room with a sink, changing table, and refrigerator as a private space to nurse or calm a fussy child. Sallen says the parents maintain the space including making sure the changing pads are laundered and the room is stocked with antibacterial soap.

"There's never been a complaint or a problem with this program and no one has ever abused it," said Sallen. "I can honestly say after all these years it's a huge success and it's been an interesting recruitment tool."

Inspired by Valley CU's success both UNCLE CU and Schools Financial CU adopted the popular "Babies in the Workplace" program, which has had some unexpected perks.

"It is a great morale boost for everyone. It calms the workplace down a little and we all pitch in at one time or another with the babies," said UNCLE CU President/CEO Jim Ott. "Even members compliment the program, and many have told me they enjoy banking with a progressive institution that truly cares about its employees."

Ott says it was fairly simple to implement and since its inception in 2003 the credit union simply had to carve out a private lactation/changing room space for parents. The program has helped UNCLE CU not only win a family-friendly workplace award, but has also provided a public awareness boost with local press coverage. Some 12 babies participating in the program later and Ott says the benefits of having the babies at the office far outweigh any initial program kinks.

"Having babies at work helps to create a sense of family, allows parents to return to work sooner, helps keep down the cost of hiring temporary employees, and offers a benefit our employees really appreciate," said Ott. "The amount of time it takes away for employees to care for the child is nominal in terms of the positive of having the employee back-it's worth the tradeoff."

Schools Financial CU Marketing Vice President Nathan Schmidt couldn't agree more. Today the credit union has a relatively low turnover rate and while it does not officially track retention from the "Babies in the Workplace" benefit, the program does demonstrate Schools Financial's family-friendly environment and greatly enhances its employee benefits package.

"It certainly doesn't hurt to have this program. Yes the babies come first, but it's better for us to have our employees here at 80% productivity than not have them here at all," said Schmidt. "It is a feel good program that generates such positive feedback and if there is one drawback it's that no one wants the babies to leave."

Sallen says the program is just one way for credit unions to differentiate themselves from the competition-especially with more potential employees looking to work for family-friendly workplaces.

"As a credit union we pride ourselves on innovation and part of our philosophy as we rolled this out is as a company we all had to agree and there's been no resentment," said Sallen. "We've found that parents who do bring their baby to work appreciate the privilege so much they don't want their coworkers to feel like they are not doing their fair share so they actually try harder. Know that it won't be perfect, have an open mind and find out what works for your credit union it may not be ideal for every credit union, but if you can find a way to offer it -do it." [email protected]