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Redressing the Balance an Economic and Social Analysis of Dress for Success Sydney’S Employment Interventions

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Redressing the Balance an Economic and Social Analysis of Dress for Success Sydney’S Employment Interventions Redressing the balance an economic and social analysis of Dress for Success Sydney’s employment interventions Olav Muurlink Stephen Iles Katie Allan Stephanie Macht Central Queensland University Centre for Tourism & Regional Opportunities Redressing the Balance 1 Redressing the balance an economic and social analysis of Dress for Success Sydney’s employment interventions . A/Prof. Olav Muurlink Stephen Iles Katie Allan Dr. Stephanie Macht - Redressing the Balance 3 © 2019 Olav Muurlink, Stephen Iles, Katie Allan, Stephanie Macht Published by CQUniversity Australia Centre for Tourism and Regional Opportunities School of Business and Law Published in Brisbane. ISBN 978-1-921047-55-8 Cover photo of a seedpod, unknown photographer, released under Cre- ative Commons CC0, from https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1488659 Redressing the Balance C4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Beyond the authorial team, this report would not have happened but for matchmaking between the Cranfield Catalyst chief executive John Hosie (who has since retired) and director Lindsay Graham. The Cranfield Cata- lyst is an organisation that aligns neatly with Central Queensland Univer- sity’s social innovation mission. The Catalyst, and it’s UK ‘parent’ the Cran- field Trust helps to align not-for-profits with the expertise that sometimes is missing at board level in the sector but can be found (believe it or not) in universities such as CQU. Once introduced to Dress for Success Sydney, the research team received great co-operation from DFS’s chief executive (also since retired—believe me, pure coincidence) Ursula McGeown, and the team at DFS Sydney. The team—and their clients—trusted us with sensitive information required to produce the report. Its limitations are entirely our responsibility, and its strengths in no small measure reflect the cooperation Dress for Success Sydney offered. Associate Professor Olav Muurlink, Central Queensland University. Redressing the Balance 5 About the authors Associate Professor Olav Muurlink is Head of Course, sus- tainable innovation, at Central Queensland University. A so- cial psychologist in CQU’s School of Business and Law, he is also program leader of the Food Waste Cooperative Re- search Centre’s Future Leaders’ Program, and chair of the international education charity Cooperation in Development. Following a corporate career with NAB, BP, Coca Cola Amatil and Westpac, Stephen Iles moved to the social sector with roles including Deputy Director at the Cape York Institute at Griffith University and Chief Executive at State Schools’ Re- lief. Currently he is a social innovation PhD researcher at Central Queensland University. Katie Allan works in a support role in the School of Civil Engi- neering at the University of Queensland and is a graduate of CQU’s postgraduate social innovation program. Dr. Stephanie Macht is a Senior Lecturer and Head of Course at CQUniversity’s School of Business and Law. Stephanie has teaching and research interests in the broad areas of entre- preneurial finance, entrepreneurship, social innovation, and design thinking. About the CTRO The Centre for Tourism and Regional Opportunities (CTRO) is an entity jointly run between the School of Business and Law and the Office of Indigenous Engagement. The Centre is ad- ministered from CQUniversity’s Cairns campus. The CTRO is an applied and multidisciplinary research centre and is or- ganised into five thematic areas: n tourism development n indigenous development and cultural capital n regional communities and growth n natural assets and environment n services industry innovation and work. About the University Central Queensland University is the largest university based in regional Australia, with locations in every mainland state. The Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rank- ings placed CQUniversity within the top 200 institutions in the world when it comes to creating social and economic impact. CQUniversity was ranked within the top 100 for three of the fields: decent work and economic growth (94) and peace, jus- tice and strong institutions (64) and quality education (83). - 6 Redressing the Balance EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report aims to estimate the impact of Dress for Success Sydney’s job place- ment work, as well as conduct a broader qualitative project evaluation, on the operation of Dress for Success Sydney (hereafter referred to as DFS-S). The project involved the gathering and analysis of both qualitative data (from inter- views and documentation), quantitative data (both primary, as in gathered di- rectly from the agency and its clients, and secondary, from both agency and gov- ernment data), as well as drawing on a broad review of the scholarly literature. Two separate analyses were conducted. The first study was a qualitative study drawing on interviews with staff volunteers and clients, while the second study drew on secondary data as well as primary data drawn from DFS–S records. The qualitative study indicates that the unique intervention that DFS offers im- pacts on clients’ self-esteem and a powerful way. This indirect intervention (when considered in terms of the clients’ pathway to employment) was revealed to be surprisingly powerful in opening up client readiness for work challenges. The quantitative analysis shows that while the DFS-S approach to helping cli- ents’ job readiness is expensive, it is complementary to existing services and highly impactful in improve job outcomes. ‘Graduates’ of the DFS-S interven- tion were not just more likely to gain employment but were more likely to gain a high-quality outcome, i.e. a full-time, as opposed to part-time or casual em- ployment outcome. The study shows that ratio of up front program costs to the present value of real future net gross wages for 2018 was in excess of 5 to 1. This report makes a number of recommendations: INVESTMENT n Financial decision making that acknowledges the time value of money using a discount rate of 3.5 percent but without the complexity of specialist valuation n Maximise future impact by aligning decision making to the four milestone benchmarks of participation, employment, retention and reduced income support. DATA n Continue on the data journey already underway and allocate funds for data collection and evaluation, perhaps five percent n Start collecting data on post placement retention of participants perhaps using new product development design to maintain and en- hance connection with past participants and donors n Clearly differentiate between modes of employment, in particular permanent and casual, and work pattern in hours n Adopt a standardised set of industry descriptors Redressing the Balance 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS 11 Background - DFS-S and its operations 12 Rationale for the study 13 Women and unemployment in Australia 15 Employment interventions 17 Why a focus on clothing might ‘work’ 20 Analysis, Study 1 24 Analysis Study 2 33 Summing up 39 References 42 Appendix - Redressing the Balance 9 Background Dress for Success, its scope of operations The ‘core activity’ of Dress for Success Sydney ten years in operation (DFS, 2019), and in 2017 styled (DFS-S) is its work in providing free professional 2506 women across NSW in preparation for inter- clothing, and assisting women in need with attaining a views, employment or another important life event. professional, job-ready ‘look’. However, in the last ten These styling services include access to second-hand years, the charity has extended its work to providing professional clothing and accessories, donated by pro- training and support to women—including, crucial- fessional women, which are provided to clients free of ly, building the esteem of women at risk. Taking a charge. The clothes itself is donated by professional broader perspective, it espouses the aim of providing women. “a network of support [in aid of the] career develop- As just noted, DFS-S does not, however focus pure- ment to help women achieve self-sufficiency”. There ly on ‘dressing’, its 2018 “Our DNA” statement divid- is an unusual element to the DFS formula, when con- ing the organisation’s approach into three categories: trasted with job placement agencies, which have pro- dressing, career support services (providing work- liferated in Australia in the last two decades. Contrary shops and coaching to assist clients with job-search to other interventions designed to ‘help’ women with and job-relevant skills) and outreach (providing ser- skills such as preparing for interview, and developing vices to women in regional and rural areas as well high-quality resumes, the DFS intervention acts di- as those at correctional centres, who were unable to rectly on perceptions: how society sees DFS’s clients, physically attend DFS-S’ two showrooms). and how these clients see themselves. A typical in- tervention designed to improve job outcomes tackles The organisation has a core group of paid staff and a the problem more or less ‘head on’, pointing clients to large pool of volunteers (740 in 2018) that enable the jobs, showing them how to apply for jobs, and either organisation to provide a greater intensity of focus on through inducements or punishments or training, try- its clients than other operators in the job-assistance ing to create a match between client and employer. space, which rely on paid staff for the delivery of their programs. DFS-S volunteers donate in a single year Dress for Success was first established in New York around 15500 hours (equivalent to 7.8 full time equiv- in 1997 by Nancy Lublin (Cummins & Blum, 2015; alent staff) to the organisation and its clients. The -or Turner & Bowker, 2001). DFS Sydney is an affiliate ganisation tends to have a surplus of donated human of a global charity that now has in excess of 150 af- resources, particularly in relation to certain elements filiates in 30 countries. The Sydney affiliate (which of its operation such as direct client contact, but it also now has associated studios at Illawarra and Newcas- has a substantial excess of donated clothing, with a tle) was founded in May 2009 by Megan Etheridge, number of innovative programs being developed to and has assisted in excess of 14,000 women during its deal with this access.
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