International Women’s Day falls on the 8th of March and this year, our brilliant operations manager Tina has written a thought-provoking piece for our blog. It’s worth noting that Tina has spent over 22 years in this male-dominated environment so has plenty of experience to draw from.
Why you may ask, do we not celebrate International Men’s Day as well as International Women’s Day? The world we live in prioritises men and we are a long way from equality. You may disagree and feel in your life that this is not the case, that the men around you don’t discriminate in this way, unfortunately, it is not the same across the world.
The women in our industry bring a unique experience to the business. There are some highly qualified female technicians and testers, does that make them any less capable than their male counterparts? Whether a technician/tester/service advisor/workshop manager/business owner we all have the same training regardless of gender. Yet as women, our job is harder. We are always having to prove our worth. To show that we are capable and belong. I don’t believe that people behave maliciously but rather it’s an unconscious bias. Nevertheless, the daily challenges we face as women are there.
People like to interact with and employ others of like-mindedness. This is great for your ego as you all agree and believe in the same things, but you don’t grow. No one challenges you, there is no gender diversity – women bring a different mindset. By employing women, you become available to a wider selection of talent for your business. Having women on your team can improve processes and group collaboration.
So this International Women’s Day, we are celebrating by empowering the women in our team, from every job role across the board. It does not matter whether you are a cleaner or a business owner, every one of you adds a huge value to what you do.
Our garages cannot run efficiently without you.
In honour of International Women’s Day, let’s meet some of the women helping CCM to thrive
Meet Amanda and Hannah from our Gatwick branch
Amanda is the friendly face at Gatwick who welcomes you in and takes care of your booking and has been with CCM for nearly a year now. Amanda is a super-talented photographer who has taken some truly amazing pictures of local wildlife and she is passionate about saving the bees and protecting nature.
Hannah is our marketing executive who looks after all our digital work caring for our websites and social media as well as organising our company events. Hannah loves animals and spending time out in nature and has recently started a pilates class.
Meet Gemma from our Cranleigh branch
Gemma runs the front of house at Cranleigh and is who greets you as you drop your vehicle off. Gemma is a big horse lover and used to have her own as well as working full time with them before joining our team. At the weekends, you can often find Gemma dancing her socks off at concerts and festivals.
Meet Kim, Kirsty, Sharon and Tina from our Ewhurst Headquarters
Tina’s our operations manager who works tirelessly to make sure everyone in the team is happy, succeeding in their role and that the business is running smoothly. She has been with CCM for over 20 years so is a friendly face to many of our loyal customers. Tina has just become a grandma for the first time so is enjoying spending quality time with her granddaughter.
Sharon is one of our newest starters joining our Ewhurst team in February 2022, welcoming customers and taking bookings. If you love aeroplanes, Sharon’s the one to speak to after working at Gatwick airport before joining our team.
Kirsty is our trusted accountant, making sure that all our suppliers are paid correctly and on time. As the mother of three young children, Kirsty leads a very busy life juggling the school runs, clubs and fun days out with the family.
What does IWD want to achieve?
Each year the International Women’s Day team pick a theme to focus on. This year, the theme is to #EmbraceEquity
Imagine a gender-equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive. Where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women’s equality.
Collectively we can all #EmbraceEquity
International Women’s Day is celebrated globally for the cultural, economic, political and social achievements of women. The day is also a reminder and call to action for accelerating gender parity. Activity is witnessed across the world as groups join together to celebrate the achievements of women and to rally for women’s equality.
International Women’s Day falls annually on the 8th of March and is one of the most important days of the year to:
- Celebrate women’s achievements
- Lobby for accelerated gender parity
- Raise awareness about women’s equality
- Fundraise for female-focused charities