We are blessed to work with more than 300 fabulous partners across the country in our fight against period poverty. One of those to have realised the benefits of a partnership is Social Security Scotland – but how does such a partnership come to fruition?
Here, our Partnerships and Contracts Manager Daisy Williams explains how the partnership process works.
Who is Social Security Scotland?
Social Security Scotland is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government that supports more than one million people across Scotland through the benefits it delivers. It employs more than 4,000 people including at its Dundee head office and other main office in Glasgow.
How did they hear about Hey Girls?
Social Security Scotland first learned about Hey Girls thanks to the Scottish Government’s Procurement team, who have published details of known Supported Business in Scotland, in addition to their Reserved Commodities for Supported Businesses Framework – positioning us as a supplier of period products to government bodies in Scotland.
The Agency looks to work with businesses who commit to maintaining a workforce that includes disabled people or those experiencing barriers to employment, something we are very passionate about here at Hey Girls.
Likewise, Social Security Scotland looks to empower local communities. This is where our “buy one, donate one” business model stood out – with every purchase supporting community organisations in Dundee and Glasgow.
How did the partnership process work?
Once we had been identified as a potential supplier, the next step was finding out more about us as a social enterprise.
Team Hey Girls met with Social Security Scotland to tell them more about our story and how partnering with us helps communities across the country – as well as supporting colleagues and visitors to their offices.
Social Security Scotland works with our national facilities partner, Mitie, to supply facilities management services at their Dundee Head Office. That made for a straightforward process to see our products stocked in all bathrooms throughout the building.
We like to make dealing with our partnership team directly as seamless and stress-free, so we were ready to go when the team got in touch looking for products to stock in Glasgow.
Now, it is as simple as letting us or Mitie know whenever they need to place an order.
We are proud to support their more than 4,000 colleagues and visitors to their offices – as well as the thousands of people who benefit through the donations their purchases generate.
What do they have to say about Hey Girls?
Natalie McCrindle, Head of Procurement and Commercial at Social Security Scotland, said: “We are committed to helping tackle period poverty and stigma in our offices by providing period products for our colleagues and visitors.
“We have built a partnership with Hey Girls that helps us meet some of our commitments to local communities in Scotland which shows the real value of our approach to procurement goes beyond awarding contracts.”
Looking to introduce a period dignity scheme?
There are so many benefits to introducing a period dignity scheme in your workplace – from improving employee morale to increasing productivity by taking away the stress of being caught short.
Partnering with Hey Girls does all that and more – as your purchases will generate donations for our network of community partners across the country, from refuges to homeless shelters.
Want to learn more about partnering with us? Visit our partnerships page to learn more, or email us here.
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