TABLE 5.

Themes, subthemes, and exemplar quotes

Theme	Subtheme	Exemplar quotes Represented with Participant Interview ID (P1XX) or Focus Group ID (eg, Faculty FG)
Infant at Work program and policy scope	Trialability	“I think to maybe pilot it or to let it happen at the units that are comfortable, and then you know really keep track of the problems that it does or doesn't cause. And maybe even collect some data about everyone in the work environment where an infant was allowed to be. So [asking questions like] ‘What was it like for the parent?’, ‘What was it like for the coworkers?’ I believe the problems would be many fewer than people might imagine.” (P110) “I would not be opposed to trying or piloting it. And I think that’s what you have to do. I mean if we’re going to implement that we have to have a group that’s willing to pilot it.” (P132)
	Inclusivity	“I almost think that the wording and the way they’ve described [Infant at Work programs] needs to be more inclusive for other things [besides just early childcare] so that you don’t feel like it’s singling you out as an individual who, like a subset of employees who would benefit from it … [or] to be stigmatizing to this group or point them out to say that oh like this will only benefit them.” (Faculty FG) “When I think about a dining employee of mine, you couldn’t have a baby out in the kitchen where you’re frying hamburgers. So, I think there are definitely places where it could not work. And one of the things that I always have a conversation about people, or conversation with people about is that fair is not always equal.” (P132)
	Resources	“I also want to point out that the special place needs also to be good. And sometimes, I mean you know we were trying to get a lactation space, but sometimes my experience in some other places was that the lactation space was very tiny at the corner of the building far away. So, I think if there is an option for individual space or an offer for individual space, I think that that space needs to be good and big enough.” (P128) “… some type of area where they could excuse themselves, go, you know, comfort their child, feed their child, whatever, or just settle them down.” (P112) “Having that community that advocated for us, was very helpful. So not only space, but also the community that we can share, and we can advocate for each other. I think if this program is to be instituted at Purdue University, it needs to have that advocacy component reaching the parents’ community and the administration. So, it’s not only—‘Okay, we’re here now, caring for you’, but they need to be a continuous advocate for conversations that need to happen [in the future].” (P128)
	Communication	“I’ve had to come in and say, ‘Okay, I just need to not, like not go in the classroom, because your child is really upset and you’re not soothing them and it’s not helpful’. And so those are hard conversations to have. And how do you coach administration to have those hard conversations? I want a parent to be able to know if we’re having a meeting and baby’s crying, please walk out, that’s okay with me or no, you need to stay, and we’ll just wait for baby to stop crying.” (P116) “I don’t expect to have guidelines to deal with all these little edge cases but I would appreciate having some other manner of communicating [with] somebody to work something out.” (Student FG)
	Flexible and tailored	“So you didn’t feel like you’re gonna make this huge change in the moment … You can always change your mind at four months‐five months.” (Staff FG) “The ability of employees to maybe job share or shift from one set of responsibilities to another.” (P109)
Employee and employer benefits	Easier transition back to work	“… how much energy we would save to be able to focus on a task at work if we don’t have to run around in the morning trying to get care for baby and then go?” (P128) “When you decrease anxiety and worry, you have a more effective employee.” (P112) “There’s a center that’s closing. And so, it’s a problem of priorities for the university. And the problem with the daycare center on campus is that there isn’t the facilities and the money to support another entity. They’re really expensive.” (Faculty FG)
	Recruitment for future employees and students	“If you could just support people through that relatively short period when they have young children, they will be so loyal and do so much for the university forevermore.” (P110)
Workplace concerns	Workplace disruptions	“I don’t know. I share a pretty kind of … we’re not gonna call it small…but it’s tiny office. And I feel like my officemate would not appreciate it.” (Staff FG) “I also think another, like a bigger problem than the parent being distracted by the baby, might be everybody else being distracted by the baby. Because people just love babies, you know?” (P110)
	Infant safety	“… there are people that are just in spaces or doing activities that are not compatible with watching a child at the same time.” (P111) “You know not every single building that we have is really a place an infant ought to be. I’m thinking, for example, bringing an infant into a lab environment can be problematic from an occupational safety perspective.” (P109)