You may not be familiar with the TradeMutt fundraising initiative, but if you’ve ever encountered one of the Chatfield OzCool technicians working on a Friday, chances are, you will have seen the loud shirts that support this cause.
TradeMutt is the product of a not-for-profit mental health support service, This Is A Conversation Starter (TIACS.org), and is most commonly identified by bright, loud workwear. The sale of TradeMutt shirts raises funds for TIACS.org, offering people free access to mental health services, so that financial barriers don’t prevent people from receiving much needed mental health support. The TradeMutt shirts are high-vis work shirts made up of various loud patterns and colours (such as the ones pictured above, worn by the Chatfield OzCool staff). They are designed to be a talking point or conversation starter, opening the lines of communication to talk about mental health.
Chatfield OzCool first came across the TradeMutt shirts back in 2019, when a couple of the Chatfield OzCool technicians approached management with the idea that the Chatfield OzCool team could wear TradeMutt shirts on Fridays to help TIACS.org raise funds, providing a cause for Chatfield OzCool to support.
Once the technicians picked out a design from the TradeMutt website, and management had them branded with the Chatfield OzCool company logo, the new Friday uniform was born.
The idea behind wearing the shirts in the workplace is to draw attention via the vibrant colours and patterns, which becomes a conversation starter and opens the door to open communication. This was certainly the case for company director, Russell Chatfield, a few years back when he had to go to a NECA (National Electrical Communications Association) board meeting straight from work and didn’t have time to change. Wearing the TradeMutt shirt in the stereotypical board room environment, he cut quite a contrast to the other board members, and in Russell’s own words, “it certainly started a few conversations that day.”
So, if you happen to see any of the Chatfield OzCool team out and about on a Friday, be sure to compliment them on their shirts, as they are participating in a great initiative and raising funds for a very important organisation.
If you would like to find out more about TIACS.org (This Is A Conversation Starter) and the TradeMutt fundraising merchandise, click on the link here:
Alternatively, if you would like to find out more about Chatfield OzCool’s involvement in this great cause – Click here, to visit the Chatfield OzCool website.
