A Moment for Working Mothers
It used to be that companies figured it was fine for storage closets double as lactation rooms. Or, that women could just use the bathroom or their car or an unoccupied conference room if they needed to express their breast milk. Mothers were expected to hide away to secretly and invisibly pump milk for their babies. Men meanwhile, worked on, remaining clueless about the time and dedication that breast-feeding required. Thanks to strong advocacy and strict regulation, there are fewer of those degrading lactation environments these days. Ignorance and invisibility – that’s no way to treat working moms.
At LinkedIn, we make a point of showing how much we revere and value working moms – and we’re doing it, in part, by dedicating significant square footage to excellent Mother’s Rooms. We design our Mother’s Rooms to feel like a spa and we locate them conveniently to bring awareness to the multiple commitments of working moms.
My colleague, @Anna Bohbot, a working and nursing mom leads our efforts to make Mother’s Rooms a refuge at LinkedIn. Read her story, When A Mother’s Room Is So Much More Than A Place To Pump Breast Milk and learn more about our program. One LinkedIn working mom Page Williams, says in the article, “the more we talk openly and honestly about pumping and the demands of motherhood, the more we can help increase gender equality and parity.” I couldn’t agree more.
Show me how much you support working mothers with photos of your company’s awesome mother’s room in the comments below.
Thanks to Francesca Segrè for editorial support.
Co-Founder of Miniaa
4 年that was a great attention about this concept. by the way working moms need more than a mother's room in the company.I think companies should create new family friendly culture, specially for parents.
Fractional CMO | Strategic Brand & Marketing Consultant | LinkedIn TopVoice | Mentor in Residence IIM Calcutta Innovation Park | Most Admired Marketing Leader 2023-WMC | Ex CMO ASCI
5 年so happy to know about LinkedIn's effort to create women and mom-friendly workplaces - it definitely goes a long way to make the women employees feel connected, appreciated and value and hence in turn breeds long term loyalty and stickiness with the organisation. Its a win-win situation for both.?
Director at Corporate Facility Services LLC
5 年Workspace features like these mother rooms, create a more productive workplace. The industry has advanced light years since the first one I remember at SAS in 1985. A employee loyalty impact that is a reflection of the leadership at LinkedIn.
Innovation Orchestrator | Fractional Go-To-Market Leader | CleanTech | Construction
5 年Thanks Brett Hautop?for bringing attention to?importance of working mothers and mother’s rooms. I am very impressed to see what LinkedIn is doing towards this.?Its come a long way from my own personal experiences.?I was at a Fortune 500 company w/ kid 1, I had to wait for a conference?room to open up. I was at a startup with kid 2?& 3,?and they converted a utility room. I remember sitting in there waving my hand?to turn?the motion sensor?lights back on! But as pointed out in the article, more important than the rooms is the?dialogue around working mothers or even broader working parents. I didn't speak up then but I am doing so now by choosing to work at a?company that?values working mothers/parents by?providing comfortable mothers room, best parental leave policy in the US?and having an open dialogue.??#SageGlass #SaintGobain
Communications Director, Public Affairs Professional, Strategic Storyteller
5 年Thanks Anna Bohbot (Zulaica) and Brett Hautop for recognizing the importance of working mothers and mother’s rooms. May it be the norm.