We have long known that ethnicity, gender and other biases like age and ability are rampant in hiring practises. And yet it is only in recent years that I have started to notice an altogether more subtle but prevalent form of bias that has been present in almost every hiring process I have been a part of. That is socio-economic or class bias.  

It shows up as subtle language that on the surface makes total sense — things like “smart” and “polished” or “great communication skills”. In some cases, the bias here is not so unconscious and these are simply polite and acceptable ways of saying “didn’t grow up on a council estate”. Where we sense that leaders are holding this kind of bias, we should be direct and fearless in calling this out.  

The more complex level here is that these can be valid qualities we might seek in candidates. But where bias creeps in is the presupposition that these things look a certain way. Often what we unconsciously leave off at the end of these terms is a silent “like us” — “Smart..like us” or “Polished.. like us”. If for example we have a leadership team who have majority attended redbrick universities or private and grammar schools, there can be a very narrow definition for what intelligence or communication should look like. That people should use a certain set of words, speak or dress in a particular way. And so rather than seeking the best candidate we end up seeking people who look, sound and act like us.  

One particularly insidious litmus test I have seen in many hiring processes is the question “would we want to go for a drink with them?”. In this seemingly harmless question, we are suggesting that the right candidate is someone who we would like to socialise with. And we know from endless research that our social circles tend to reflect our backgrounds. 

With the right intention and attention, hiring is arguably the most powerful location for promoting social mobility within organisations and society at large.  So, whether you are an HR leader, hiring manager or someone involved at any point in the hiring process, how can you be an agent of change for social mobility and what can you do today? 

1. Honestly look at the socio-economic diversity of your hiring team 

People can get very uncomfortable here, or they get lost in the complexity of what to measure. You don’t have to do this perfectly. Choose a couple of metrics by which to assess the socio-economic status of your hiring team (e.g. did they attend a state or private school, did their primary caregiver/s attend university, were they on free school meals.) The less diverse your hiring team, the more vigilant you need to be to stop this kind of bias seeping into your hiring practices. Consider slowing down your process, really doubling down on the steps below or bringing in more socio-economic diversity from the wider organisation to your hiring team. 

2. De-code your job advertisements and candidate assessment

Scan all of your job adverts with a brutally honest lens. Are you using language that might make people from different socio-economic backgrounds feel like they don’t belong? Is the language unnecessarily complex? Is it subtly saying we want people “like us”? Similarly with your candidate assessment — do you use the “drink?” litmus test or anything similar? Wherever you can replace these practices with something more neutral or inclusive, do.  

3.  Bring “potential” into your hiring process 

The unfortunate truth is that socio-economic or class privilege does bestow some real-life advantages. Things like confidence, exposure or work experience can be characteristic of people who have had more of this kind of privilege and that might mean that they may perform better initially.  But, particularly at junior level hiring, I’d invite you to bring in the concept of potential. With the right nurturing in 3, 6 or 12 months, could this person vastly out-perform the other candidate? Add to that the reality that more diverse teams overall perform better and potential can often become a more important element of your hiring criteria.