Social class remains a taboo subject in many areas of society, including the workplace, and often is an unspoken aspect of people’s identities. The reasons for this silence are complex, ranging from the deeply ingrained class system in the UK to individuals feeling the need to 'fit in' with the professional world.
The silence surrounding social class persists, even though an individual’s socio-economic background can have a profound impact on their opportunities. In the UK, the occupation and income of an individual’s parents or caregivers still significantly influence the opportunities available in education, employment, and other areas of life.
So, how can we start the conversation about social class in our workplace?
As an organisation:
"If we’re going to be serious about equality, we need to start having some uncomfortable conversations about class, privilege, and access." (Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook and author of Lean In)
Foster a safe and inclusive environment where employees feel comfortable discussing their socio-economic backgrounds.
Creating a safe space for employees to discuss their socio-economic backgrounds is essential, and simply asking colleagues to discuss or declare their socio-economic background won’t be enough. Employees from lower socio-economic backgrounds need to feel supported in sharing their experiences. In order for this to happen employees have to feel like sharing about their background will lead to meaningful change and have the confidence that doing so won't result in negative consequences like biases or stigma.
Offer training, host open discussions, and actively listen to your workforce's experiences and concerns.
To help foster an inclusive environment, integrate social mobility into organisation-wide DEI, CSR and ESG commitments. With the support of social mobility experts, you can:
- Offer training to increase awareness, identify unconscious biases, and acknowledge specific barriers and challenges in your sector.
- Host listening sessions where employees can share their experiences and concerns, using lived experiences to shape your organisation’s social mobility work.
- Develop a social mobility strategy that will actively listen and respond to colleagues.
Begin collecting employee socio-economic background data to benchmark progress and track internal advancements in social mobility.
A fundamental starting point for organisations who are embarking on their social mobility journeys is to understand the socio-economic diversity in their workplace. Organisations like Ladder Consulting can help you collect, analyse and act on workforce data. By understanding your organisation’s socio-economic diversity, you can identify gaps, access new talent pools, and create a workplace where everyone can bring their authentic selves to the workplace.
As an individual:
"In the workplace, social class can be the silent barrier that keeps us from truly understanding each other's potential." (Angela Glover Blackwell, Founder of PolicyLink)
Engage with existing networks to engage employees – social mobility is considered by many as the golden thread of diversity.
Employee networks are an incredible way for individuals with shared experiences to discuss their pathways and initiate new work in their organisation. For social mobility, The UK Social Mobility Awards (2024) found that Social Mobility Networks were crucial last year in both getting social mobility work done as well as advocating for its place. If your organisation doesn’t yet have a social mobility network, are there current networks you could reach out to, to collectively advance in the subject of social mobility, potentially through the lens of intersectionality (ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion)?
Start a conversation with your team responsible for DEI, ESG, and CSR to explore initiatives where you can collaborate or contribute to advancing social mobility within your organisation and community.
There are likely teams and/or individuals in your organisation working on a vast range of projects to contribute to your organisational ESG and CSR commitments – why not reach out to see where social mobility does and could fit into the agenda? Often, social mobility work relies on individuals advancing the message, and allying to communicate the message. By acting as an internal advocate, you can contribute to both internal and community-based social mobility initiatives.
