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Lactation Support for Employees

Chapter 4075
Issued July 30, 2012, Revised April 15, 2022

Table of Contents

.010 Introduction
.020 Policy
.030 References
.040 Questions

.010 Introduction

Kansas State University strives to create a workplace that is both productive and supportive of its faculty, staff, and student employees in their familial roles. The University recognizes the benefits of workplace support for employees who need to express milk.  

.020 Policy

As a result of the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that amended the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) effective March 23, 2010, K-State will provide employees reasonable break time to express milk for their nursing child for three years after the child's birth each time the employee has need to express the milk, when requested. Employers are also required to provide a place, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from coworkers and the public, which may be used by an employee to express breast milk.

Departments and other administrative units must make reasonable efforts to provide accommodations to employees who need to express milk. These accommodations include access to a clean and private space to express milk for any faculty, staff or student employee who is feeding a child for up to three years after the birth of the child. If the department/unit is not able to provide the employee with a space to express milk, then adequate time to travel to and from another building where an appropriate space is located must be allowed. Although many rooms at the university are available and appropriate for expressing milk, some locations on each campus have been designated for exclusive use by nursing mothers. Public lactation stations are provided in locations specified on the following website: https://www.k-state.edu/pcsw/policies/ 

An ideal lactation location is clean, maintains appropriate temperature and ventilation, and is located near the work station with locks for privacy, has an electrical outlet, a comfortable chair and a small table or flat surface to hold the breast pump. A bathroom, even if private, is not a permissible location. Allowing access to a refrigerator, where available, to securely store expressed milk is helpful.

Faculty, Staff and student employees should be allowed adequate use of break time, leave time, meal time, and/or flexible work schedule to utilize a lactation station, to express milk, and to clean equipment after pumping. Employees should contact their supervisor to request work schedule variations in advance and for assistance in identifying a private location for expressing milk if one is not readily available. Break time for nonexempt employees is covered more fully in PPM 4220, Hours of Work, Overtime, Overtime Pay and Compensatory Time.

.030 References

US Department of Labor Break Time for Employees.

.040 Questions

Human Resources (HR) is responsible for this policy. The Vice President or designee must approve any exception to this policy or related procedures. Questions should be directed to Human Resources at 785-532-6277 or hr@ksu.edu.