She missed the in-person sessions and the networking that would have helped her business after Amazon refused to admit her 20-week-old baby because children under six are banned from its fulfilment centres. Rachel Bews, travelling to a six-week Amazon-run business course in Dunfermline, Scotland, told BBC Radio 4's The World Tonight she had warned Amazon a week earlier that she would need to bring the baby as she was breastfeeding. Amazon apologised, saying its site access policy was not communicated clearly and that it doesn't permit children under six on fulfilment centre sites. The company said it will review how it communicates access rules.

What happened?

She missed the most valuable in-person networking because Amazon enforces a long-standing rule barring children under six from its fulfilment centres. Rachel Bews had travelled to the Dunfermline, Scotland, sessions for a six-week programme run by Amazon but was told by phone while on the train that children under six were not allowed on site. Amazon offered her access to the online element of the course, but Bews said she lost the informal coffee and lunch meetings that help build business contacts.

What did Amazon say?

Amazon apologised and acknowledged it had not made its site access policy clear before Bews travelled. In a statement the company said, "We sincerely apologise to Ms Bews that our site access policy was not communicated clearly before she travelled," and added, "Amazon doesn't permit children under the age of six on any of our fulfilment centre sites." Amazon said the rule is a long-standing health and safety policy that applies to visitors and employees, and that it's reviewing its communications process to prevent a repeat.

What did Bews say about her options?

Bews told the BBC there was a lactation room at the event that would have allowed her to express milk, but she had not planned to use one and didn't have sterilised bottles or expressing equipment with her. She said not every breastfed baby will take a bottle and that being excluded from the face-to-face sessions effectively shut her out of the informal networking that supports small businesses. Continuing the online portion, she said, was not an adequate substitute for the contacts she had expected to make in person.

Coverage of the incident cited NHS guidance that advises women returning to work, education or training that they can continue to breastfeed and recommends telling an employer that they're breastfeeding before returning. Amazon framed its site rule as a universal health and safety measure. The only immediate remedy described in the account is the company's pledge to review how it communicates access policies.

Why this matters for small businesses

Missing informal meetings can carry a direct cost for small business owners who rely on contacts made in person. Bews said the connections she expected to form over coffee and lunch were the "most important things" about the in-person course. For participants who must combine caring responsibilities with training, unclear access rules turn a practical barrier into a strategic one, reducing the value of programmes designed to support firms.

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Amazon said it will review its communications process to prevent this happening again. Originally reported by BBC.

This article was created with AI assistance.