By Casey Smith, Indiana Capital Chronicle

Signatures are also required from coworkers who agree to serve as “alternate care providers.

Indiana will begin allowing some state employees to bring their infants to work under a pilot program announced Tuesday by Gov. Mike Braun and detailed in a newly issued policy.

The move comes months after Braun’s administration ended hybrid schedules for most state workers and rescinded thousands of remote-work agreements as part of a broader return-to-office directive that requires employees to report in-person unless granted narrow exceptions.

The “Family First Workplace” initiative has already launched for staff in the governor’s office, the Indiana Department of Health and the State Personnel Department, according to Braun’s announcement. 

The governor said the effort is part of Indiana’s commitment “to strengthening families, supporting parents in the workforce, and promoting healthy early childhood development.”

“Indiana is going to lead the nation in pro-family policy. The parental bonding that happens in the first months of a child’s life are irreplaceable, and our new Family First Workplace pilot program helps parents stay connected to their newborns while continuing their careers,” Braun said in the news release. “Indiana is building a culture that puts families first.” 

The governor’s announcement followed an executive order issued earlier this year that expanded paid childbirth leave and parental leave, as well as paid leave for state employees who experience a stillbirth or infant loss.

SPD policy sets standards, restrictions

The new, four-page policy officially took effect Dec. 2 and aims to “provide a framework for a pilot program that will allow parents to bring their infants to the workplace where operational needs and the environment make such opportunities feasible, safe, and effective without impeding productivity,” according to the document.

The policy states that time spent with parents in the first six months of a child’s life “is important to their health and wellbeing, and that having opportunities to have their infants nearby can generate higher morale, increase job satisfaction, and motivate higher productivity in employees who are new parents.”

SPD defines eligible state workers as full-time employees of the governor’s office, IDOH, SPD and any other agencies later authorized to participate in the pilot program by Braun’s office. Participants must be employed by the state at the time the infant is born.

An “infant” is specifically described in the policy as “the biological or adoptive child of an eligible employee who is between four weeks and six months of age, and who is not yet able to crawl or walk without assistance.”

Children can only be in tow for up to six months. An infant becomes ineligible at the end of the calendar week in which they turn six months old — or when they become mobile — “whichever occurs first,” per the policy.

What the program requires

Before bringing an infant to work, an employee must submit a written request at least 10 business days in advance and complete a series of documents, including a participation agreement and waiver, a pediatrician clearance form, and a supervisor sign-off confirming the details of participation.

Signatures are also required from coworkers who agree to serve as “alternate care providers” — defined in the policy as fellow employees “who ha(ve) expressly agreed to step in to care for the Infant for not more than one-hour per workday if the eligible employee must attend to duties that cannot be effectively performed if the infant becomes disruptive at that time.”

Alternate providers are prohibited from providing care more than a total of one hour per workday, and supervisors cannot assign subordinates to serve in that role.

The policy does not make clear how many coworkers must agree to help, however.

Participating employees must also “maintain productivity,” including meeting quality, quantity, and timeliness” performance standards; keep the infant’s area clean and sanitary; ensure the child has all required vaccinations; and remove the infant if management deems the child disruptive.

Agency management is responsible for determining if a child is disruptive. In such instances, employees “will use appropriate leave for the remainder of the workday.”

Where infants are — and are not — allowed

Agencies must determine which workplace locations are safe and appropriate. 

But the policy lists several areas where infants can’t be present, including:

• stairwells
• state vehicles
• laboratories
• fabrication, maintenance or construction areas
• storage rooms
• kitchens with hot appliances
• loading docks
• utility or mechanical rooms
• server rooms
• fitness rooms during active use
• locations accessible by incarcerated individuals or federal detainees
• Family and Social Services Administration/Division of Mental Health Addiction hospital patient areas
• any posted restricted or high-noise area

Infants have to remain in the employee’s regular work station or designated infant-care areas unless being taken to a lactation or diaper-changing space.

Employees are additionally prohibited from placing their Infant in state vehicles and taking their Infant with them while traveling for conferences, inspections audits or other field work.

Participating agencies have obligations, too, like creating lactation spaces; identifying coordinators to handle questions and approvals; determining which positions and work locations are suitable; and enforcing safety and productivity requirements.

They’re also directed to terminate an employee’s participation if operational needs or performance standards aren’t being met.