Richmond, Va. –
Leaders at Defense Logistics Agency Aviation at Oklahoma City will soon open a new lactation room to support nursing mothers, further solidifying their commitment to helping employees achieve work-life balance.
"DLA Aviation values all employees and recognizes the need to accommodate nursing mothers in order to reduce absenteeism, improve employee retention, improve employee satisfaction, and boost productivity," said Ashley Lindsay, management assistant for DLA Aviation at Oklahoma City.
"We will be working with each employee who requires it to ensure that they are afforded access to a space that meets the DLA guidelines." Lindsay said.
To help implement the program, Lindsay said working group participants needed to identify specific lines of effort needed to make the program successful.
"There is a DLA instruction for the program, DLAI 6000.1, and beyond that, it is up to the industrial support activity to comply with it and maintain an active program at our site," she said.
Lindsay said one challenge has been establishing the current need within the organization for the lactation program and putting a plan in place to accommodate anticipated future needs.
To implement and launch the program, a team comprised of Lindsay; DLA Aviation at OKC Operations Officer Air Force Capt. Amanda Hopkins; and Management Analyst/Facilities Manager April Walker, developed a survey that was sent out to the workforce to get a better understanding of the demand for lactation spaces, including the number of current employees and their locations.
"This has been one of the lines of efforts that falls under our larger challenge of coordination of the framework for the program," Hopkins said.
"DLA Aviation at OKC is a tenant organization on Tinker Air Force Base , and with our 400-plus personnel spread out over a dozen buildings, we must be prepared to accommodate lactation space in any one of our areas when the need arises, and to the level that accommodates all employees needing to participate," Walker said. "For example, in one of our more populated spaces, we have one lactation room currently serving five employees. There is often overlap and a need for a second space in there. Through the establishment of our program, it will be easier for the agency to identify the solution and execute it."
A program coordinator is being established at OKC, referenced in AFI 36-3013, to maintain the program components. Input has been gathered during multiple working group meetings.
"The program coordinator will have to get creative, as the solution will not always be to build out a designated lactation room. Some alternatives we will consider will be use of supervisory offices, use of nearby Air Force lactation spaces and the purchase/ installation of mobile lactation pods like you may see in an airport or car dealership," Lindsay said.
"Availability of space, level of demand and cost are all variables that will play a part in deciding what option works best for each situation," Walker said.
Hopkins said a launch date has not been set, but they are working with facility managers on their first lactation room project to expand the current lactation room located in Bldg. 3001.
"We want to be able to expand the current lactation room [established Aug. 2018] to accommodate multiple individuals as well as set up more lactation rooms throughout other DLA areas. We hope to complete the lactation room expansion by the end of this year," said Hopkins.
Program leaders will be sharing information about the Lactation Program through emails, briefings, bulletin board postings and the local newsletter.