Women@Work, the Aires Women's Employee Resource Group, seeks to raise awareness about issues that women face in the workplace, foster communication, and provide resources to promote an inclusive work environment. In addition, the group strives to partner with our Talent Management Team for recruiting and retaining women efforts, and to inspire women to a path of leadership at Aires.
Why Clothing Donation?
We all know what it’s like to be a young professional in the world and need a good outfit for your interview or new job, or just a refresh to your workplace wardrobe. Professional clothing can be inaccessible to some due to cost, and according to U.S. Census Bureau data, poverty disproportionately impacts women, particularly women of color. We wanted to help by providing some of our business wear to ensure that all women have a fair shot at entering the workforce if they want to.
The Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Utah branch studied the environmental impact of donating clothing. In Utah alone, they estimated that every citizen donates up to 80 pounds of clothing annually. By donating clothing, we help clothes stay out of landfills, conserve energy, lower the carbon footprint, and conserve resources. Talk about a win-win.
Why We Chose Dress for Success®
After brainstorming, we looked for organizations that supported this mission and came upon Dress for Success®, a global not-for-profit organization that, according to their website, empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire, and the development tools to help women thrive. This ties in directly with the mission of the Women@Work Aires ERG and we felt called to aid with this cause.
How We Did It
The Aires Women’s ERG researched donation sites near each of our physical offices and designated a point person who could drop off the donations after the drive. Dress for Success® has many branches around the world, so we were able to partner with them in alignment with our office locations. We were pleased that even our London and Hong Kong offices were able to participate!
For remote workers, or areas without a Dress for Success® location, we encouraged individuals to still participate by checking their local area for a women’s shelter or similar organization.
Above all, the members of our ERG were ambassadors for this drive in all of our offices. They spoke about it during internal meetings and spread the word throughout the company for the campaign. They were instrumental in the success of this program, championing the cause at any opportunity they could get.
Results
Please see the photos below of all the wonderful clothing items our offices donated for this cause! Together, we were able to donate 24 bags of clothing. We look forward to exploring more opportunities to provide community support, and we are excited to share more of our progress and impact as it unfolds.
Are you an Aires team member interested in learning more or joining Women@Work? Check in with your Aires Team for more information!