In the hit HBO/BBC drama Industry, aside from the general debauchery of the characters, one thing that’s noticeable is the upper-class backgrounds of the leads. Yasmin, for instance, heralds from a wealthy family, while Gus is a graduate of Eton and Oxford. Only Harry heralds from a working-class background, and he visibly struggles to fit in in a world in which the rest of the cast seems to know precisely how to speak and act.

It’s a scenario that is adroitly captured in the Social Mobility Foundation’s recently published short film Stay Down, which charts the difficulty faced by the lead character, played by Michael Socha, as he attempts to fit in sufficiently in his financial firm to secure the promotion he wants, and probably deserves.

Butler to the world

Switzerland has long been seen as a kind of “butler to the world”, and this was evident on a recent visit to the EHL Hospitality Business School in Lausanne, where students are quite possibly the most polished bunch I can recall seeing on any university campus I’ve ever visited. My student guide for the day breezily showed me around while decked out in a dashing tweed suit. The university states that its dress code prepares students for any business encounter, and it’s perhaps no surprise that around 30% of graduates go into finance.

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While the school does aim to be as diverse as possible, they didn’t have data on how class-diverse their student body was. Class oozes through in the way we speak, act, and look, however, and research from the Social Mobility Foundation suggests that it contributes to a “class pay gap” in the U.K. of over 13%. The research was published on the 14th of November, which is the day in the year when working-class professionals effectively stop earning.

“When we’re talking about class biases, we’re generally not speaking about explicit factors as we see with various other forms of discrimination,” Sarah Atkinson, CEO of the Social Mobility Foundation, told me. “Instead, it is often more implicit biases that emerge from how people are able to present themselves and the way in which employers judge potential and capability from that.”

As well as presenting a more polished veneer, people from higher social classes can often access networks that allow them to advance their careers. This is especially beneficial in a world in which up to 50% of vacancies are filled via referrals.

Pay divide

The researchers examined pay data from 2014 to 2021 across 15 different occupations. The analysis found that people from working-class backgrounds often face a double disadvantage as gender and ethnicity are taken into account. For instance, working-class women are paid nearly £10,000 a year less than their male counterparts, even when both work in a managerial role.

The most “class-ridden” roles included CEOs, finance managers, management consultants, and solicitors. By contrast, professions such as engineering, journalism, and science tended to be more egalitarian with much less of a class pay gap. Indeed, working-class scientists actually seemed to be paid more.

“In Britain, it still – quite literally – pays to be privileged, the existence of a class pay gap shows that Britain remains a deeply unequal society; people from working-class backgrounds not only face barriers getting into the professions but also barriers to getting on,” Atkinson continues.

Making matters better

So what can be done to overcome these class difficulties in the workplace and ensure that work is fairer and more meritocratic for all? A number of possibilities exist, but here are some of the most accessible for any organization to implement:

• Measure class diversity – It’s often said that you can’t manage what you can’t measure, so the first step is to ensure that you’re actually measuring class diversity in your organization. We can already see this being done in organizations such as KPMG, PwC, and Clifford Chance, and it’s clear that more need to follow suit.
• Don’t hire for culture – It’s common today for organizations to place great emphasis on their culture, and with good reason, as a good cultural fit usually results in higher levels of employee engagement and productivity. It is not without risks, however, and can often result in hiring people that look, sound, and think like the people already at the organization. This can perpetuate the biases already in place, so it’s important to understand the very real risks involved when placing cultural fit at the center of your recruitment and retention efforts.
• Look in new places – When it comes to recruitment, we might also have a number of tried and tested approaches that you return to repeatedly. For instance, you might commonly recruit from the same universities or even the same cities, but this risks meaning that many potentially great hires are essentially invisible to you. With labor shortages quite so pressing across the economy, this is an approach that doesn’t cut it anymore, especially with millions of these so-called “hidden workers“.
• Utilize local knowledge – A great ally when looking for talent in new places are local organizations that can provide a bridge between you and previously unknown communities. In our research, we found that housing associations can help to fulfill this role, but it could also be workforce commissions and other such organizations.

“To initiate positive change and end class pay gap disparity, we need greater transparency, more drive for the change required, and action to make it happen now,” Atkinson concludes. “We need organizations and government to recognize this and commit to creating a more equal, equitable, and inclusive society that doesn’t penalize those from working-class backgrounds but that truly levels the playing field.”