CompanyOffers Solutions For Working Mothers (NAPSA)—To make it on to the Working Mother magazine’s list of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers, a company really has to work at improving the quality of life for women in its offices. One of the companies which made the magazine’s list for 2001 is Pfizer. In the business of improving the quality of life for millions of people worldwide, Pfizer also strives to provide employees with support when they need it most. Oneof the ways Pfizer makes it easier to be a working motheris to support nursing mothers in the workplace. At a recent roundtable discussion in Connecticut, Pfizer Human Resources representative Carol Peragine talked about Pfizer’s program. “Once I heard the other people speak, I realized that our program is pretty spectacular,” said Peragine, who works with new mothers at Pfizer’s locations in Groton and New London, Conn. Attending the discussion was a representative from a breast pump manufacturing company, who talked about how his company rates employers based on their nursing mother programs. “According to his criteria,” said Peragine, “Pfizer would be in the highest ranking category because we provide not only the most important ingredient—a dedicated space with a lockable door—but the necessary equipment to ensure employee comfort and success. There are currently several locations where nursing mothers can express their milk using a Pfizer-supplied high quality electric breast pump. Pfizer also provides nursing mothers with their own personal Some companies now provide programs that may benefit employees who are also breast- feeding mothers. kits needed to use the pump. Nursing mothers can also attend monthly meetings of the Working/Nursing Mother’s Support Group. The Pfizer program came about through the grass roots efforts of Pfizer employees. “The goal of the discussion roundtable,” says Peragine, “was to determineif legislation to make the workplace more breastfeedingfriendly was needed andthelegislators on hand were in agreement that the matter should be pursued further.” Peragine said that before she attended the discussion roundtable she took her company’s programs for granted, but then she heard other mothers’ stories of their work-related breastfeeding experiences. “Tt reminds you of what a great companyPfizeris,” said Peragine.
