We take our cue for protecting vulnerable groups at work from the Equality Act 2010. Currently, there are nine protected characteristics. But is it time to add a tenth? Class discrimination seems to be prevalent in British workplaces, with myriad reports confirming that employees from poorer socio-economic groups fail to attain the levels of seniority of their richer peers, and that pay gaps persist based on class. Yet one only has to look at the state of the current Government to know that originating from society’s higher echelons and attending an elite university is no guarantee of talent. As such can we, as employers, seek to benefit society at large, and our own organisations by focusing on levelling the playing field socio-economically speaking?

Larger organisations are starting to be interested in the socio-economic background of their workforce, and set targets accordingly (for example KPMG has a target that 29% of its partners and directors are to be from working-class backgrounds by 2030). However, this is a developing area and it is likely to be some time before there is a universally accepted principle that class should be protected, let alone for that concept to be introduced into legislation. But that does not mean that good employers should wait for legislation to catch up before taking action. 

The first question to ask, of course, is what is the problem? Does class discrimination actually exist? The evidence (which is still patchy) is that yes, it does. In 2019 the TUC analysed data produced by the Higher Education Statistics Agency that demonstrated that graduates with parents in ‘professional’ jobs are more than twice as likely as working-class graduates to start on a high salary, regardless of the status of the degree that they attain. Employees from a working-class background are significantly more likely to be paid below the rate of the Real Living Wage than those from professional backgrounds.

Perhaps these statistics are no surprise, particularly given how ingrained class distinctions have become in the UK. What, perhaps, is more surprising is the way that class stereotypes still play out at work, and are perceived as acceptable. Horror stories are plentiful: the casual use of ‘chav’ to describe colleagues of lower social groups; or the widespread prevalence of discrimination against certain accents (essentially those with regional working-class accents are perceived as being much less employable in professional roles than those with ‘standard’ middle-class English accents). Overt examples can be matched by the more subtle ways in which class discrimination can operate: what type of knowledge is valued, opportunities for informal networking and mentoring, opportunities for promotion etc.

So, we can be pretty convinced that class discrimination exists, but does that mean we must do something about it, or even that there is something which can be done?

This is partly a moral issue – is it right that an accident of birth can have such an effect? Partly a commercial issue (given how clear the evidence now is of the link between organisational performance and effective inclusion and diversity strategies) and partly a practical issue, given that there are significant barriers within organisations to reducing class discrimination. However, as with any other initiative or focus, it is important that organisations take an informed view before deciding what (if anything) to do. So here are some pointers to moving the issue of class discrimination up the agenda, and deciding what (if anything) to do about it.

Start thinking in terms of social mobility rather than ‘class’ or ‘socio-economic background’

Class is the wrong label. Not only is it politically loaded, it is difficult to define, meaning that initiatives will not be targeted and cannot be properly measured. A consensus is forming that class-based issues are best looked at in terms of social mobility, and in this respect, the work of the Social Mobility Commission is gaining traction. This requires looking at socio-economic issues in a consistent way, with a focus on ‘social mobility’. Whilst this term can have various different meanings, its significance is that it is outcome-focused, rather than descriptive: in particular social, mobility can be measured by the evidence of progress, such as: ‘have you obtained a higher status job than your parents?’ or ‘are you a higher earner than your parents?’ It may seem reductive to measure progression or mobility according to such labels, but we need to remember that we are looking at this in the workplace context, and in this context economic measures make sense.

See social mobility as a diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) issue 

This will enable the same initiatives that have been applied to other under-represented groups: blind recruitment, mentoring, awareness-raising etc. etc. Even though class/background is not a protected characteristic under the Equality Act there is nothing to stop you from treating it as such: make sure that your policies treat any discrimination or harassment on socio-economic grounds (however you label it) as a conduct issue.

Monitor and manage

Finding out more about your workforce’s socio-economic background is a good place to start. Any trends can then be mapped onto the organisation structure. Consider also more specific monitoring: this can be a formal analysis, such as a socio-economic pay gap report, or a more informal analysis, such as looking at who attends what networking, social or similar events.

Tackling socio-economic disparity is in its infancy, but undoubtedly it deserves to be higher up the agenda. There are real benefits for organisations that are prepared to grapple with some quite difficult questions and issues. We also need to remember that many existing disadvantaged and under-represented groups are also from less advantaged socio-economic backgrounds?. Therefore tackling this issue can also accelerate other workplace diversity and inclusion initiatives which can only be a good thing

I would be very interested to hear from HR professionals and business owners who have made a conscious effort to address this issue and how they have done so at mcole@prettys.co.uk