Social Mobility
The reality is that, until now, there has been no holistic way to measure social mobility and hence perhaps one of the reasons that there has been little progress in this area. Overcoming the limitations of existing measures, In Diverse Company has created an objective, quantitative and internationally relevant measure of socio-economic status based on which social mobility is calculated. Our tool measures the movement of social mobility and identifies the factors affecting it.
What is Social Mobility?
Social mobility refers to the movement of individuals across socio-economic levels. Low levels of social mobility can result in ‘sticky floors’ and ‘sticky ceilings’. This suggests that individuals from less privileged backgrounds may find it difficult to improve their socio-economic situation, be it in terms of wealth, health, education or occupation, whereas those more privileged have access to better resources and opportunities. This challenge extends into the workplace. The decisions that organisations make in terms of recruitment and talent progression can serve to perpetuate social immobility.
There is no consensus on the best way to calculate social mobility. It often entails measuring an individual’s socio- economic status (SES) which in itself lacks measurement clarity. Differing academic backgrounds often lead economists to focus on income, while sociologists examine occupational status to calculate SES. Other researchers may evaluate education and some, a combination of all the three variables.
To overcome this challenge, In Diverse Company has created a new composite measure of SES that examines information related to an individual’s finances, career and education.
To overcome this challenge, In Diverse Company has created a new composite measure of SES that examines information related to an individual’s finances, career and education.
We begin the project by communicating with your employees to ensure they are engaged. Next, we engage in data collection – quantitative data through surveys, and qualitative data through in-depth interviews and focus groups with employees.
Through our analysis, we will provide valuable insights into the extent of social mobility employees have experienced. This will be detailed across demographic variables such as gender, race, age, LGBT+, as well as across regions and business functions. Additionally, we will highlight factors that negate or enhance the experience of social mobility, as well as how employees perceive their experiences and opportunities at work.
Based on these findings, recommendations will be provided on practical solutions that your organisation can take to improve the socio-economic diversity and social mobility of your workforce.
1. Gain an understanding of the socioeconomic background of your workforce and their experience of social mobility, including reference to demographic variables
2. Be able to compare the make-up of your organisation to the general population as a whole
3. Understand which departments and regions have experienced social mobility, and where in the organisation there is a possible bias towards those from more privileged backgrounds
4. Receive data visualisations of the results (keeping all data aggregated) that tell an in-depth story of social mobility at their organisation
6. Gain information on recruitment, promotion, and learning and development practices, as well as additional insights on employee behaviour
If you’d like to know more about how our social mobility measure can benefit your organisation, please fill in the form below and we will get in touch.
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What we’re talking about
Our CEO
Johanna launched In Diverse Company in 2019 out of a strong belief that there was a better way to create and measure inclusive cultures.
Our team
We live by our values, and our approach to our own recruitment policy, team and purpose reflects this. We are a tech company driven by a senior team that are experts in people, with one of the only female CEOs of a HR tech platform across the world.
Our Platform: Include LXP™
Our Learning Platform, Include™ is the only LXP that combines Learning and Engagement. Include aims to create more inclusive working cultures and is underpinned by social and behavioural psychology principles.