The Covid-19 pandemic has caused millions of Canadians to lose their jobs or have their hours cut, but the situation for women is especially dire. In what has been dubbed the She-cession, Women have seen proportionately steeper job losses than men. In May, Statistics Canada reported that 1.5 million women lost jobs over March and April, a 17% drop in employment from February levels.

Why has this time been more economically difficult for women? There are a few reasons. Women are more likely than men to be employed in part-time or precarious work, make less money than men do, and work in sectors that were impacted early on by the pandemic. Women occupy only 31% of senior management positions in North America, and as a result, there are more women in non-leadership positions that are more at risk of being eliminated. Women also make up about half of Canada's workforce, so an economic recovery is not possible without them being able to work again.

The mission of Dress for Success is to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and the development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. Dress for Success Orillia and Barrie have been making changes to go virtual, as they anticipate being busier than ever with serving their clients needs during this catastrophic pandemic.

Their Suiting Program, where volunteers and staff assist women in selecting professional attire for job interviews and workplaces, has been adapted to become completely contact-free and virtual. The programs new moniker is Pick & Pack: Virtual Professional Clothing Assistance Program. How does it work? Clients receive a form to use for measuring themselves in addition to a form for stating their colour and style preferences. The client then has a virtual appointment with a volunteer or staff via GoToMeeting/Webinar. Preferences are discussed further in that appointment, and the client is shown what has been picked for them based on those initial forms.

If none of the clothes selected for that appointment are suitable for the client, the staff and volunteers pick other clothes based on their conversation. The clothing is then packed in a bag. Clients in Simcoe County can pick up clothes from the Dress for Success Orillia and Barrie office, and clients in Orillia can have the clothes delivered to them. Once the clothes are received, a follow up phone call with the client is made to make sure the clothes fit and are appropriate for them to wear. There is a large selection of business-casual clothing available in sizes 0-26, as well as non-slip shoes, steel-toed boots, and un-used scrubs.

Dress for Success Orillia and Barrie is also adapting their Breakfast Club program to a virtual model, which will be beginning in July. The 9-week program will run online via Go To Meeting/Webinar, with one meeting each week for all their clients. The content of the meetings will be delivered via PowerPoint presentations, videos, webinars run by volunteers, and with the guidance of the facilitators. Topics covered will include goal setting, professionalism, communication skills, confidence, motivation, mental health and self-care, personal branding and job interviews.

The COVID-19 pandemic has already been and will continue to be a difficult time for employment. Dress for Success Orillia and Barrie is more committed than ever to ensuring that women in Simcoe County have the professional clothing, confidence and support network they need to help them thrive and succeed in obtaining employment.

Dress for Success Orillia and Barrie is going to be settled in to a new location as of August 1st. The new address is 320 Bayfield St. Unit 79, Barrie, ON L4M 3C1. Please note that clothing donations are on hold until September. Lists of what we do and do not accept with regards to clothing is available at our website on the donate page.

For more information on Dress for Success Orillia and Barries programs, contact program coordinator Samantha Sceviour at samantha@dfsorilliebarrie.org or 705-252-9200.

Interested in volunteering with Dress for Success Orillia and Barrie? Contact volunteer coordinator Agnes Pec at agnes@dfsorilliabarrie.org.

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Dress for Success Orillia and Barrie is Helping Women Virtually - simcoe.com