Why HarperCollins has set up a Social Mobility Employee Network

We think a network such as the social mobility one we founded at HarperCollins is important because everybody should feel comfortable to acknowledge and celebrate their background and how their experience has shaped them, to be their authentic self at work, and for that to be recognised and valued. Staff networks can play a really positive role in supporting and advocating for that level of inclusion.

With the current cost-of-living crisis, it’s become impossible to ignore the needs of working-class employees. Two-thirds of respondents to the Publishers Association’s workforce diversity survey in 2021 were from “professional” family backgrounds, so socioeconomic background is still a barrier to inclusion in the industry, and the current economic circumstances will impact junior members of staff disproportionately. We need to ensure we don’t lose talented staff because they can’t afford to work in the industry, and that focus needs to include those in mid-career as well as those starting out. There is a real ambition at HarperCollins to reflect all readers’ experiences in our publishing, to reach all demographics of readers, so we need to ensure that we are harnessing the power of the lived experience of our own staff. To do that, working-class employees need to feel well-supported and financially secure.

It’s important to bear in mind that your economic or education origins aren’t a visible characteristic, and that not everyone will feel comfortable acknowledging their working-class identity

We believe the industry can promote the recruitment, retention and development of people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds by having open conversations about the challenges they face. Do they feel at home in publishing? Can they see a career path ahead of them? And if not, why not? Having open discussions about the challenges faced, and senior industry figures engaging as advocates for change, is so powerful.

It’s important to bear in mind that your economic or education origins aren’t a visible characteristic, and that not everyone will feel comfortable acknowledging their working-class identity. Yet we know that it can be a multiplier on other challenges faced, so it’s crucial this is factored in when we think about how to overcome disadvantage. Social mobility is a key part of truly diversifying the workforce. We are thrilled HarperCollins is supportive of the network and the positive change it can bring.

Janet Aspey, marketing manager at HQ, and Lee Newman, education publisher at Collins, created a brand new employee network supporting social mobility at HarperCollins. The network has been set up for employees from a working-class background, alongside allies keen on promoting social mobility.