This Company Provides ‘Maternity Concierges’ for Expectant Employees

A Cincinnati-based personal banking company is now providing ‘maternity concierges’ for its employees, in order to help those expecting or with children under a year old.

Fifth Third Bancorp hired two of the specialized concierges in January. The new employees assist staff members with personal matters such as ordering breast pumps, planning parties and preparing hospital bags with relevant items. The company also plans to increase its maternity leave program, which is currently six weeks at 100% or 60% of pay. Fifth Third is taking these steps to reduce the number of female employees who leave the company after taking maternity leave , according to the Wall Street Journal.

“We’re like a wedding planner, but we’re your baby planner,” Fifth Third maternity concierge Jessica Hanson told the Journal.

Other major employers have been expanding the number of benefits provided to expectant employees, for example allowing workers to bring nannies on work trips, providing meals and housecleaning services for new parents and even — in the case of pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson — paying to ship breast milk home from business trips.

Maternity services, care and leave have been a topic of discussion lately, especially with Republicans in Congress attempting to repeal the Affordable Care Act. And, during his first joint Congressional address in February, President Donald Trump said that his administration would work “to help ensure new parents have paid family leave.“

[H/T The Wall Street Journal]