Work & Mother Satisfies Section 7 of the Fair Labor Standards Act

HOUSTON—Work & Mother Services LLC, a network of fully equipped pumping facilities, support community and educational resources for new working mothers, has signed a lease at Three Allen Center, the class-A office tower located at 333 Clay St. in downtown. Under the terms of the agreement, Work & Mother will lease 949 square feet of space on the street level and is anticipated to open summer 2020, according to Brookfield Properties.

The new Work & Mother facility at Three Allen Center will be its second Houston location, providing a new amenity to the Allen Center campus that makes it easy for employers to support working mothers. In addition, the facility will help Brookfield Properties’ tenants satisfy Section 7 of the Fair Labor Standards Act requirements for Nursing Mothers.

This break time for nursing mothers provision went into effect March 23, 2010 as a part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, GlobeSt.com learns. It amended the act to require employers to provide a nursing mother reasonable break time to express milk. And, companies are required to provide a place other than a restroom for employees to pump during the work day.

Companies enroll directly with Work & Mother to take that burden off of company administrators.

“We’ve found that companies aren’t equipped to fully address such a private and intimate issue as pumping breast milk in the office,” said Abbey Donnell, Work & Mother founder and CEO. “It doesn’t make sense for every company in a large office tower to take this on individually. Work & Mother is a better economic option for companies in that they reduce their legal risks and create a better working environment, preserving their own office space for their core business.”

Work & Mother is working with Will Holliday, director of construction for Brookfield Properties, and PDR Architects to build out the new location, which will have 10 private rooms, hospital-grade equipment and additional support resources. Many of the rooms have workstations including hands-free pumping for a more productive work day. Members enrolled at one Work & Mother location can use privileges across all Work & Mother locations.

“All enrolled employees have access to our facilities and support resources. Within our facilities, we have hospital-grade pumps, cleaning and sanitization supplies, refrigeration and storage options, and access to top-of-the line breastfeeding and pumping products,” Donnell tells GlobeSt.com. “Members receive a membership profile in the app where they can reserve rooms, make appointments, an access card, an attachment kit that works with our hospital-grade pumps, an assigned locker and a cooler bag. From there, depending on the membership tier, perks can include an array of things such as discounted tickets to our classes and events, home visits by lactation counselors, postpartum support boxes, discounts on products, and access to all Work & Mother locations. As an added benefit, companies enrolled will be featured in Work & Mother’s directory of mother-friendly workplaces.”

Work & Mother is now pre-enrolling companies at Allen Center and while the location isn’t scheduled to open until late spring 2020, it will begin offering classes and events later this year.

“Companies pay a flat annual access fee and a per-person monthly use fee for any employees enrolled and using the facilities,” Donnell tells GlobeSt.com. “Membership fees are tiered and vary based on location and number of employees. However, some building owners may choose to provide the service as a built-in amenity to their tenants.”

Brookfield Properties was represented in lease negotiations by Clint Bawcom and Tyler Merritt of Brookfield Properties.

“We are pleased to welcome Work & Mother to Three Allen Center,” said Travis Overall, executive vice president and head of the Texas region for Brookfield Properties. “This concept is a welcomed addition to Allen Center for the many working mothers we have throughout our campus.”

Earlier this year, Brookfield Properties announced further plans for the reimagining of Allen Center, which includes renovations at Two and Three Allen Center. Plans for Two Allen Center include a new two-story lobby, second-floor outdoor terrace, and updated retail bays and tenant mix. Three Allen Center will feature a renovated lobby as well as a new shower and locker facility. Renovated elevator lobbies and elevator cabs will be created for both buildings along with a new sky bridge connection between Two and Three Allen Center. Phase II construction began in April 2019 with estimated completion in late 2020.

“Three Allen Center was a good fit for the facility because of density, the caliber of tenants and the demographics,” Donnell tells GlobeSt.com. “Most importantly, Brookfield Properties’ vision for the reimagining of Allen Center aligned with our vision with regard to bringing top-tier professional amenities to the workplace. Brookfield Properties showed a dedication to creating an environment that catered to the needs of its tenants, especially women. Work & Mother fit really well into that plan.”

Brookfield Properties understands the needs of tomorrow’s workplaces and demonstrated a real commitment to supporting working families, Donnell shares.