Description
Social class is an often hidden but incredibly important element of diversity. It also seems to be the least mentioned metric of them all.
It is becoming increasingly hard to climb the social mobility ladder, and to out-earn one's parents. Each consecutive generation is finding this harder, and it's particularly true for those in the lower and middle social classes. Following the Covid pandemic, once again we are seeing inequalities widen.
Is your industry made up of people from a wide variety of backgrounds? Or do you all share a similar background? Does your culture truly welcome everyone, encouraging social mobility so that everyone can be successful there?
We invite you to make a difference in enhancing the possibilities for social mobility via opportunities in your workplace.
We believe the information in the module is meaningful across many western markets, but the issue of social class and mobility is perhaps most explicitly on the agenda in the UK.
By its nature, this module will focus on elite industries with a particular focus on the creative, media and advertising world.
Learning Objectives
We hope at the end of this module you will:
- Understand the key facts about social class and social mobility
- Be able to acknowledge why it is crucial to understand in relation to other diversity work (i.e to take an intersectional lens)
- Awareness that it is partly a 'getting in' issue (recruitment); but also a 'getting on' issue (culture)
- Be aware of the cultural challenges within elite industries that exacerbate the problem
- Be able to articulate and understand what your organisation can do, and have a list of actions your company can undertake
Watch this video of Roxanne Hobbs is the founder of The Hobbs Consultancy in conversation with Lisa Thompson, about Social mobility in the workplace.
