Statistics show that “social background” continues to have a strong influence on educational and labour market opportunities. Often, people do not have access to resources such as networks, assets, education, or social potency because of their social class. As a result, many workers do not obtain jobs that are appropriate for their talents and abilities. Organizations can leverage this potential if they make “social background” a topic of their diversity management strategy and broaden their perspective here. For example, people who have experienced social advancement can be particularly assertive and adaptable. They also have access to different target groups and can more easily empathize with people from different social groups.
What you can do
- Offer mentoring programs for people from non-academic households and open up insights into the "other worlds" for both mentors and mentees. Encourage mentees to apply to you and recruit the appropriate individuals.
- Prepare people with low academic achievement for the training and thereby develop a diverse talent pool.
- As part of social engagement, empower your staff to engage with people from other educational backgrounds and work with them on projects.
- Include “social background” as part of your diversity social responsibility practices (CSR). For example, support preschools that emphasize a diverse social background or care for people from socially disadvantaged backgrounds.
- Include "social businesses" that work with people from different social backgrounds in your collaborations - for example, in catering.
Read more about the “social background” dimension in our link section.