I’ve been banging the social mobility drum for 17 years now, ever since I left school in 2008 and started Visionpath, an early talent specialist working with employers to make their early careers more equal. Coming from a social mobility background with no career access and little in the way of advice and guidance, I started Visionpath to solve the problem of social mobility, for young people and businesses alike.
Since then, I’ve had conversations with countless CEOs and HR leaders about social mobility, why it matters and what they can do, exploring practical ways of reaching, recruiting and retaining socially diverse school-leavers.
Read more: Social mobility: The route less travelled in diversity and inclusion
At London Tech Week on Monday, social mobility was the topic of a panel billed as moving from awareness to action. Great, because the tech sector needs it. A study by the Tech Talent Charter found that just 9% of people working in tech come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
What I heard was lots of impassioned, relevant talk about the problem, but little in the way of solutions.
We know the issues and we have the stats. McKinsey says more diverse businesses outperform peers by 36%. Research from the thinktank Demos found that low social mobility costs the UK £19bn in lost GDP annually.
So why are we still talking instead of acting? Because revisiting the problem is easier than taking action, which needs time, resources and money.
Read more: Social mobility rises up the business agenda
But the business case for social mobility is there. It isn’t nice-to-have, it’s mission-critical. Employers always tell me that to serve their customers effectively, their workforce needs to reflect them. That to tackle complex challenges they need diversity of thought, perspectives and skills. Social mobility delivers both.
So, this Social Mobility Day, the real mindset shift we need is from problems to solutions. If you’re with me, then here are my top tips for driving social mobility in your organisation:
- Don’t shy away from talking about social background. Just last week I ran client workshops where their people could share experiences and misconceptions of social mobility, creating space for everyone to learn and make change – individually and collectively. We need more honest, practical conversations to spur everyone into action.
- Create (and fund) a social mobility network. Not with leftover budget and good intentions – you can’t make change on a shoestring. Give it an executive sponsor and real profile in the organisation. Encourage OKRs to drive accountability and put it on the board's agenda at least annually.
- Embed social mobility in your early talent strategy. Engage schools with higher levels of disadvantage. Build insight, skills and mentoring into your recruitment process to create a level playing field for your candidates. Design onboarding to support talent that’s never had exposure to the workplace. Upskill managers to grow, develop and retain your early talent so you’re embedding social mobility for the long-term.
Read more: Employers pledge support for action on social mobility
There are lots of practical things you can do. Let’s focus on solutions. Social mobility always needs champions, but it also needs action backed up by real investment and resource to make a difference.
By Patrick Philpott, founder and CEO of Visionpath, an early talent specialist
