If you're pregnant and working in an office whose dress code isn't stretchy yoga pants-friendly, your bank account will take a hit. Business maternity clothes aren’t cheap. One dress can cost hundreds of dollars, and that’s just one outfit.
To help pregnant women afford professional attire, Domo, a Utah-based computer software start-up, is offering expecting employees up to $2,000 to spend on maternity clothes. The mom will receive gift cards to Nordsroms, ASOS and A Pea in the Pod to basically go on a shopping spree to find new work-appropriate clothing that's also comfortable.
This innovative policy started about a year ago when Domo CEO Josh James' assistant became pregnant. James quickly realized the struggle she was facing to continue to dress professionally while dealing with a changing body.
The CEO tells People, "I've always believed that if you look good, you feel good, and if you feel good, you play good. We want our expectant employees to be able to treat themselves, and buy clothes that make them feel great."
And while the stipend may just be a small gesture in the grand scheme of things, sometimes it's the small things that make a big difference.
Domo employee and mother of two Erica Bartsch was one of the first women to take advantage of this benefit. She tells Fortune, "Pregnancy is an awkward time for your body. You're doing this wonderful and amazing thing while going through so many changes … the image of what you have in your head is not reflected in the mirror. The benefit made me confident about what I was putting on."
That's not the only way this company is supporting working parents. They also have a paternity leave policy which gives new dads two weeks off fully paid (which may not seem much compared to the Netflix's of the world, but keep in mind this is a very small start-up company,) and gives new parents a $1,000 "baby bonus."
