Nearly a third (29%) of senior managers hire people just like them, according to new market research from the OU. This means that people from different social and educational backgrounds are being held back in their careers…
Employer bias still rife when hiring new staff
The study found that employer bias is still rife in the workplace as senior managers continue to place significant importance on aspects such as educational attainment (86%), cultural fit (77%), tastes and leisure disputes (65%), and even social background (61%).
Considering their own social make-up when hiring is concerning for diversity and hints at a glass ceiling for those from less privileged backgrounds.
Over three-quarters (78%) of the senior managers surveyed grew up in households in AB socio-economic groups, where the head of household held a higher/intermediate managerial, administrative and professional role, which, according to the Sutton Trust, offers access to higher quality opportunities.
Of those surveyed, 78% have qualifications beyond A-level, and 52% have completed postgraduate study.
The opportunity to progress put ‘out of reach for many’
Worryingly, the survey also found that a ‘degree premium’ is at play when managers are hiring and developing their staff with more than half (55%) of managers saying that they would not be willing to take on employees without a degree and train them up in the skills required. This puts the minimum entry requirement out of reach for many.
This bias continues once employed, as three in 10 (31%) employees without higher education (HE) qualifications do not have access to workplace training to improve their skills, in comparison to 21 per cent of those with an HE qualification. A quarter (25%) report that colleagues who received a better education were given better opportunities.
An untapped resource
With automation likely to make at least some low-skilled jobs obsolete in the near future, and the current demand for higher-level skills, offering training to help people develop the skills businesses need could provide a much-needed solution for these workers and for the UK’s skills shortage.
This is one of the groups that was supposed to benefit from the introduction of the apprenticeship levy earlier this year, but the ‘stigma’ attached to apprenticeships is holding back progress.
One in six senior managers believe that apprenticeships are for those who could not get into university and 13 per cent consciously think less of someone who has taken that route.
OU corporate director, David Willett, said:
Those who did not take the ‘traditional’ approach to university often have a different social background and a wealth of life experience that can be invaluable to organisations. Increasingly, we’re seeing evidence that shows how bringing diversity into the workforce drives creativity, innovation and helps to retain diverse client bases – all of which are essential if the UK is to compete on the global stage post-Brexit.
It pays to remember that breaking the mould is a good thing when it comes to business innovation.
This study follows recent market research commissioned by the OU which found the skills gap is costing UK businesses more than £2 billion a year in higher salaries, recruitment costs and temporary staffing, and the challenge of finding talent with the right skills means that businesses need to change their approach to recruitment, development and retention.
