Wear it Purple Day: Q&A with Joseph

Wear It Purple Day is an annual awareness day, founded in Australia and held on the last Friday of August. It's a day dedicated to showing support for and celebrating LGBTQIA+ youth. The day's mission is to empower young people to be proud of their identity and to help create a world where everyone is respected and accepted.

At Zip, we are committed to fostering a safe, fair and inclusive workplace, free from bias and discrimination. One of our core Values is ‘Stronger Together’ which is about building a workplace where every Zipster feels they belong and can unlock their potential.

In this blog, we hear from Customer Experience Specialist II Joseph Aytekin.

Tell us who you are, how long you’ve been a Zipster and what you do day-to-day in your role?

My name is Joseph. It has been 3.5 years since I joined Zip. As a Customer Experience Specialist II, I assist customers with any enquiries, review complaint cases, assist agents on the floor, take care of Social Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, ProductReview.com.au and Trustpilot.com and report on these Socials at our monthly Voice of the Customer meetings.

Being on the front line also gives us live responses about how our customers are experiencing Zip. I always try to provide constructive and understanding feedback for the relevant teams to make sure, as a whole company, we are all connected to our customers, regardless of whether the topic is positive or negative.

Beyond my day-to-day work, I’m an excellent cook and I like swimming!

What does Wear it Purple Day mean to you and why do you feel it's an important day to acknowledge?

This is a day, a small act that creates a huge statement. This was a statement that I was missing when I was a teenager. While discovering my identity, it was not easy growing up in a homophobic environment. Celebrating Wear it Purple Day shows a light to a younger me; “It is ok, you will be ok”.

It is amazing to have this day and share the same message with everyone, delivering it to those who need it the most; LGBTQIA+ youth. It is so powerful to see that they too can feel inclusivity, safety, and to not be afraid of being their authentic self.

As a Zipster, how are you empowered to bring your true, authentic self to work?

I feel so lucky to work at Zip. It has been such a joy and pleasure to work in a department where I’ve never felt that I can’t be myself. Since the start, everyone has been very supportive and welcoming.

That’s what genuinely motivates me most. I’ve never felt any struggle to come to work because I’ve known that I would always be celebrated and welcomed in this place.

I follow the same culture and make sure everybody feels safe and welcome in this business. Sharing and caring creates an environment that feels welcoming. Being able to celebrate who I am has empowered me and allowed me to be my truly authentic self.

What one thing that people outside of the organisation may not know about Zip makes you proud to work here?

I marched for Zip at last year’s Mardi Gras with Pinnacle Foundation. It was such an excellent experience that I was fortunate to share with Spencer Murray and Andrea Rodriguez from the Customer Experience Team.

It was a celebration with a deep meaning, and doing this while representing Zip made it extra special.

What's one key message you'd love your Zip colleagues to take away from Wear It Purple Day to build greater respect and understanding for our LGBTQIA+ community?

“WEAR IT PURPLE!” It’s a tiny step that you can take on a Friday morning, but it means a lot for so many people. It shows how thoughtful you are and considerate of everyone else as well.

Purple will bring the colours!