How to Support Socio-Economic Diversity in the Workplace
By Kerry Rosado, DEI Consultant
Social class is an important aspect of diversity that is often overlooked in the workplace. By including class in corporate diversity programming, organizations open opportunities to include a group that can encounter some of the same kinds of bias as women and people of color encounter.
It can help avoid the backlash that can occur when men are characterized as universally privileged even when they come from backgrounds where they were socio-economically disadvantaged.
Solutions
Avoid Hiring from Ivy League Schools - Over half of Harvard students came from families in the top 10% of household incomes. If you only consider Ivy League candidates, you’ll be dismissing qualified and brilliant candidates, just because of their family background. Studies show that students from lower ranked schools are often similarly successful as students from the top schools.
Culture Fit - If culture fit is a hiring criteria, make sure you define it.
Limit Referral Hiring - If the team is homogenous, and tends to hire friends of friends, it just reproduces the homogeneity of the existing team. Referral hiring gives an advantage to white, elite men and doesn’t provide the best possible candidate. So it's important to set limits.
Understand Interdependence Between Race and Social Class - Blacks from lower-class origins are less likely than whites with similar backgrounds to become managers. Understanding this interdependence is fundamental to improving economic outcomes for Blacks and remedying social class disadvantage.
Promote the best candidates from every department - People with higher origins cluster in high-status departments, while those with lower origins work in less-visible groups. Companies seek candidates for managerial roles from only a handful of departments, so the odds are stacked against some of the best candidates. Be equitable in promoting from all departments.
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