The Civil Service does copious data collection on this both at recruitment and through the people survey and is looking at the applicability of different measures..

Relevant blog post here: civilservice.blog.gov.uk/.../social-mobility-and-the-people-survey

Great research here: www.gov.uk/.../socio-economic-background-seb

An idea of class is a difficult measure as self-reporting varies drastically.. e.g. many aspiring working class people would consider themselves middle class when by most objective measures they wouldn't be considered that way..

The measures used in the Civil Service include:
Eligibility for free school meals, type of school attended (comprehensive state, selective state, fee-paying etc), employment status of parents (employed, unemployed but seeking work, unfit for work etc) and occupation type of primary wage earner at 14 (e.g. technical, manager, professional etc), education level of parents (e.g. higher degree, degree, below degree level etc) and tenure of childhood home (e.g. rental, council property, own home).

This data obviously is very sensitive and some people are uncomfortable sharing it, but worth considering. Obviously like other D&I data it should be optional, clear how it will be processed and GDPR is a consideration.

Have you seen this: www.socialmobilitypledge.org/

The site doesn't cover how you measure this but it has a networking section and a list of companies that have signed the pledge. You could contact them to find out how they measure this. We have been looking at social mobility and I just telephoned a big law firm on the list and asked to speak to whoever was responsible for their D&I programmes. Provided you don't pick a competitor, you might find as I did that people are willing to share their experience.

The way that we go about doing this ourselves is to focus on the Census' metrics of socio-economic background, like whether candidates parents went to university etc.

Happy to send over some more information on how we collect data and what's worked well for us. What's your email address?

In reply to Bradley:

Thanks Bradley, that would be great. Have PM'd you.

In reply to Elizabeth Divver:

Thanks both- I'll have a look at your suggestions. We're familiar with the kind of measures you refer to Lesley, but it's how you practically apply these that we're struggling with.

In reply to Claire:

It's a slippery one to get hold of.

Hi Claire,

I used to have some involvement with this kind of monitoring and evaluation when I worked for The Prince's Trust. They might be able to help you with methods and evaluation metrics.

Hope that helps!

Jamie

Hi Claire,

I used to have some involvement with this kind of monitoring and evaluation when I worked for The Prince's Trust. They might be able to help you with methods and evaluation metrics.

Hope that helps!

Jamie

Hi Claire, I was doing some research and came across your post with interest, as we are also considering social mobility as part of our D&I strategy and data capture.

How did you get on with this? Did you start monitoring and was this both for recruitment and existing workforce?

I am sure that by now you will have seen the useful document on gov.uk Social Mobility Commission, however just in case - www.gov.uk/.../socio-economic-diversity-and-inclusion-employers-toolkit

If you have any information to share on your experience, learning points etc that would be appreciated. Thanks so much.

Kind Rgds
Tracy

Data is at the heart of every forward-thinking diversity & inclusion (D&I) strategy. In order to take the right action at the right time, you first have to understand where you are at, as a business. This guidance will help you do just that, wherever you are on this journey.