An ally is someone who is not a member of an underrepresented group but who takes action to support that group to help make their workplace more diverse and inclusive for all.
For workplaces to become truly inclusive it is up to people who hold positions of privilege to be active allies and to take responsibility for making changes that will help others be successful.
Allies at all levels can take action with simple, everyday efforts that make a real difference and in this series, we highlight some things that you can do to be an ally and to support your colleagues from underrepresented groups.
#58: Provide a nursing room for mothers
A nursing room for mothers provides a private and comfortable space for mothers to express milk for their babies. Having a dedicated nursing room can help mothers make the transition back to the office easier by providing a place where mothers are able to expressing milk while they are at work and it can help to reduce the stigma and discomfort that some women may feel about expressing milk in public spaces.
The room should have a door that locks, covered windows with proper ventilation, a special fridge that allows them to store the milk pumped, and ideally, only allows the room to be booked for that specific purpose.
If your firm doesn’t already provide a nursing room for mothers, you should consider requesting one is provided or an existing multi-purpose room is adapted for this purpose. If your firm is big enough/has enough room/space multiple rooms should be provided with a designated purpose rather than one multi-purpose room intended for different uses.
All employees should also make sure that if rooms are provided that they are used for their designated purpose (and available for people to use) – it is not an extra meeting room, storage room or a place to take a personal call.
Read the full “How to be an Ally” series here.
