How can your business support employees from lower-income backgrounds?
Find out more about KPMG’s journey to set up a social mobility employee network.
Social mobility has long been an area of focus for KPMG as we strive to create a fairer, more equitable society. We set up this network to really focus on social mobility as a core issue for KPMG.— David Rowlands, Head of Consulting at KPMG UK and Co-Sponsor of UPbringing, KPMG UK’s Social Mobility Network
For other businesses seeking to build a similar strategy, my advice would be to understand how it aligns with your purpose and your values as an organisation and how to find those champions for social mobility that will ignite passion and enthusiasm across your teams and your communities. We need a rainbow of talent to solve business and society’s biggest, most complex issues and can achieve exponentially better results when we connect together.
For over a decade, KPMG has been leading on social mobility and ensuring that the firm is a welcoming place for everyone, regardless of socio-economic background. Knowing how much talent and productivity is not unlocked due to social mobility constraints, KPMG is a place where everyone can thrive and enjoy a rewarding career.
Here’s how you can do the same for your business – to attract and retain talent, to create an inclusive working environment, and maximise your client reach.
Creating your own social mobility network – benefits and challenges
UPbringing is KPMG’s social mobility network, established in May 2021 to improve opportunities for those from lower socio-economic backgrounds and to advocate for social mobility.
The Upbringing committee is made up of volunteers from across KPMG who work towards three focus areas – leadership and culture; recruitment and retention; and storytelling (allowing colleagues the platform to share their story).
The enthusiasm, dedication, and commitment of the members has seen the network grow from strength to strength.
The committee members conduct their roles in addition to their day jobs, which can sometimes be challenging to manage alongside other business priorities. In fact, one of the biggest challenges for the network at the outset was channelling passion for the topic of social mobility into a strategic plan. To enable this, setting clear goals for the network was key, along with defining a clear purpose that everyone in the network shared.
There’s no silver bullet – your firm needs to take a holistic approach
There’s no one size fits all solution to improving social mobility. Instead, KPMG took a holistic approach to championing social mobility, through:
- Developing a mentoring scheme
- Linking the social mobility network to their established Corporate Responsibility strategy, participating in local school and community outreach events and being a founding supporter of National Numeracy Day
- Running insightful presentations for school, university and military leavers
- Developing a social mobility pay gap report, with a target of having 29% of Partners and Directors from a lower socio-economic background by 2030 (the first across the Big 4)
- Using Reflection Fridays and coffee roulette to foster a sense of community
- Aiming for an ED&I data completion rate of over 70%
Still not sure about social mobility?
Since introducing the network, KPMG have seen:
- Improved relationships with local communities and charity partners – attracting the best talent
- An inclusive workplace where people can come as they are and see their careers thrive
- Increased diversity of thought, perspective and innovation across the business
- Higher employee engagement, creativity and motivation
- Direct support and recognition of colleagues from lower socio-economic backgrounds
KPMG are already reaping the benefits of taking action to support every colleague, and the firm won two awards in the UK Social Mobility Awards this year (for both Leadership of the Year and Champion of the Year). Your business can do the same from today.
