HOUSTON – (Realty News Report) – Work & Mother Services, a network of full-service lactation suites to support working mothers, hired CBRE to lead its national expansion in American office towers.
The Houston-based company is looking to grow nationally, especially in such metros as Dallas, Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York.
CBRE’s Abby Alford and Lucian Bukowski will represent Work & Mother in their expansion efforts.
Work & Mother operates a network of full-service lactation suites that feature a variety of amenities, hospital-grade pumps, private rooms, and refrigeration and storage options. As part of its service, the company provides a booking app and support resources, such as lactation consultants and career coaches, to help mothers’ reentry to work.
The breast-feeding facilities are a “shared tenant amenity” intended to serve many tenant companies in a skyscraper
Employers Legal Obligation to Nursing Mothers
Companies are required to provide a place, other than a bathroom, for employees to pump breast milk during the workday.
“Most employers have a legal obligation to provide a proper space for nursing mothers, but pumping at work has always been incredibly difficult, with in-office solutions and multi-purpose wellness rooms often failing moms and contributing to high turnover rates around motherhood—many employers don’t even realize they have a problem until it’s too late,” said Abbey Donnell, Founder and CEO of Work & Mother. “We look forward to supporting more new mothers’ return to work and providing the real estate services that office tenants and landlords need in a post-pandemic world to promote wellness, flexibility, and inclusion in the workplace.”
High-Growth Venture Secures Funding From The Artemis Fund, HALO and BEAM Angel Network
Work & Mother is a high growth venture-backed startup whose expansion strategy will target high-profile locations in large, Class A office buildings that want to cater to the needs of a modern workforce. The company recently secured funding from The Artemis Fund, HALO, and BEAM angel network.
Work & Mother currently has two locations in Downtown Houston, at The Jones on Main and Three Allen Center , and locations are opening soon at Eastlake at Tillery in Austin, and Four Oaks Place in Houston. The company has plans for expansion in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Dallas.
The company’s Work & Mother Suites are a shared tenant amenity operating much like a building gym. By providing a safe, outsourced pumping facility, the company makes it easy for employers to satisfy Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) obligations, while also preserving their own office real estate, minimizing HR risks, and retaining female employees.
“The pandemic has forced tenants and landlords alike to reimagine workplaces with a greater focus on employee experience in order to recruit and retain top talent,” said Alford. “Work & Mother Suites provide a cost-effective way for landlords to transform underutilized space into a valuable wellness amenity and support women balancing the demands of career and family. I’m excited to facilitate their growth as a new solution to retain and empower women in the workforce – which I believe is a vital business imperative.”
Sept. 30, 2021 Realty News Report Copyright 2021
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Image: Courtesy Work & Mother
File: CBRE Handling Breastfeeding Suites. Work & Mother. Abbey Donnell.
File: (2) Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).. CBRE Handling BreastfeedingSuites National Expansion for Work & Mother. The Artemis Fund, HALO. BEAM angel network.