March 8 is International Women’s Day. Beehive joins millions of people around the world to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women and state our commitment to accelerating gender equality. We are dedicated — today and every day — to advancing gender equality in business and beyond.

Beehive is founded, owned and led by women. Women’s equality is more than a value to Beehive, it is a core belief. It is who we are and how we operate in the world. But gender equality is not just a women’s issue. It’s a business issue. Gender equality is essential for economies and communities to thrive, and for the world to be healthier, wealthier and more united.

Organizations that prioritize and advance gender equality, diversity and inclusion do better. And when businesses do better, we all do better.

An equal world is an enabled world

Attitudes toward gender balance are changing, but there is still a lot of work to be done to achieve global equality. According to the International Women’s Day Annual Study, 65% of respondents believe women won’t achieve equality in their countries unless men take action in support of women’s rights. This proves the importance of encouraging everyone, everywhere, to participate in advancing gender equality.

Individually, we have control of our own judgements, thoughts and actions. Together, we can activate our values, challenge stereotypes, fight bias, improve situations and celebrate women’s achievements.

Collectively, we can make change happen to create a gender-equal world.

Each for equal

The theme for International Women’s Day 2020 is “Each for Equal,” which is rooted in collective individualism. We are all parts of a whole and can have an impact on our larger society. Beehive is showing our commitment to #EachforEqual on our LinkedIn and Instagram channels to support International Women’s Day. The equal sign pose is a call to action for global equality and strives to make a positive difference for women everywhere.

In support of International Women’s Day 2020 and women in business, Beehive has made a financial donation to Catalyst, an international nonprofit working with CEOs and global companies to build workplaces that work for women. Catalyst pioneers change with research, tools and solutions to accelerate and advance women into leadership. Catalyst has been an International Women’s Day Charity of Choice since 2016 and has aligned values and purpose in working to improve workplaces for women worldwide.

Here are some recent ways Beehive is making a positive difference for women the workplace and demonstrating our commitment to women in business:

• Our team, clients, business partners and friends donated in 2019 more than 1,200 pieces of jewelry to Dress for Success Twin Cities to outfit more than 280 women for career readiness.
• Beehive leads PR Council’s SHEQUALITY Minnesota project, which supports female leaders, mentors and allies and equality in top positions at PR firms.
• Beehive team members serve as mentors to young professionals in our industry and beyond through organizations like Minneapolis Mad Women and Upturnships.
• CEO Lisa Hannum is a member of Ellevate Twin Cities. Ellevate was established to bring together women — at all stages of their careers — to create, inspire, and lead.
• Beehive has been Women Business Enterprise certified for 12 years.
• We have instituted a “no meeting” policy for the first and last two hours of primary day on Tuesday, March 3 to enable our team the schedule flexibility to vote. Election Day, Nov. 3, will be a paid holiday to give our team the time to vote and volunteer.

The race is on for gender-equal boardrooms, government, media coverage, workplaces, health and wealth. Let’s be #EachforEqual.

#IWD2020 #EachforEqual