Acas publishes guidelines for employers.

The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) published new guidelines for employers recently aimed at helping them create ‘an accommodating environment’ for women who are breast feeding.

The booklet, called ‘Accommodating breastfeeding employees in the workplace’, provides information about the legal position, gives tips on how to create the right environment and facilities for breastfeeding women, offers advice on considering the mothers’ requests and shares examples of good practice.

The law requires an employer to provide somewhere for a breastfeeding employee to rest and this includes being able to lie down.

There is no requirement to undertake a risk assessment, although the guide says this would be good practice.

Employers do not have to provide facilities, or paid time off for employees to breastfeed or express milk.

The guide suggests that companies adopt and publicise breastfeeding policies, and explains that providing facilities for breastfeeding women can increase loyalty and retain skills.

The guide warns employers that enabling women to express or breastfeeding at work may lead to inappropriate behaviour and banter among co-workers and they must guard against this and take swift action if this occurs.

The guide says that breastfeeding women will need a private space, equipped with a fridge to enable them to store milk.

Employers should make clear to women returners how they can make a request for breastfeeding facilities.

They should ‘reasonably and objectively’ consider requests for breaks, taking care that they do not discriminate against the breastfeeding woman.

Employers should be sympathetic to requests for flexible working or consider extending existing breaks to accommodate breastfeeding.

Maternity Action, which campaigns for the rights of pregnant women and new mothers, welcomed the guidance as it has been campaigning on these issues for some time.