Marigot Jewellery (Thailand) Co Ltd had a wake-up call when two of its best hands left the company over milk.
Back in 2007, two outstanding workers took a three-month compulsory maternity leave and never returned to the company. Their decision to quit was not about pay.
Chaba Kongphol shows plastic bags which keep mother’s milk at the company. THITI WANNAMONTHA
What motivated the women to give up their jobs was that their newborn babies were not drinking milk formula. The workers had no choice but to stay home and breast-feed their babies.
The departure of the two women jolted Marigot's management into tailoring a serious shift in its childcare policy.
“We were thinking about how to win the hearts and loyalty of our workers,” said Kannika Senmukda, the company's Human Resources Department assistant manager.
The company found the answer in milk banks - two of them. One was set up the company's Bangpu factory in 2007 and the other at its Ayutthaya factory in 2010.
The milk bank allows new mothers to take a break during their work day to pump breast milk which they put in special plastic bags and leave in the fridge for later.
The working mothers then can bring the milk home with them where they can store it to be used when they return to work the next day. They repeat the routine so that there is a constant supply of fresh breast milk.
Marigot employs around 5,700 workers and most of them are women between the ages of 18 and 25.
“We couldn't afford to lose any more skilled workers,” Ms Kannika said.
Marigot staff spend at least three months developing basic jewellery crafting skills. The more experience they have, the better they perform, she said.
The milk bank programme begins even before a baby is born and involves more than milk-pumping breaks.
Expecting mothers are moved to work in chemical-free production units and they are permitted to leave work five minutes early to avoid the crowds at the exit.
They are also provided with information leaflets on breast feeding and can consult an in-house nurse on commonly-asked issues. It is a way to tackle myths and misconceptions about breast feeding.
Breast feeding fosters a bond between the mother and her baby and is a major money-saver. Milk formula typically costs the family at least 4,000 baht a month - a substantial amount for most families.
After giving birth, the workers receive a month's worth of baby care products from the company.
The company set up a milk corner with a fridge and a freezer set aside to store the breast milk. Plastic bags are also handed out to store the milk. The workers are allowed to pump their milk up to three times a day.
The company also arranges for the breast milk to be delivered to the babies raised by the mothers' relatives who live outside of Bangkok.
Chaba Kongphol, 35, said her second, eight-month-old daughter benefits from the programme.
Ms Chaba said she feels like the company treats her well and cares about her well-being. “I feel important,” she said.
The milk bank may not be a revenue-earning project but it is valuable.
Ms Kannika insists the mothers who join the programme tend to take fewer days off work.
“The project doesn't require a big start-up fund,” she said, adding that it's not about making money. The value for the company, she said, is in winning the workers' hearts and loyalty.