Research shows a strong case for creating class-diverse and inclusive workplaces – for both employees and organisations. According to the DCA’s 2025-2026 Inclusion@Work Index, class marginalised workers are:
- 4 times more likely to be in a non-inclusive team than class privileged workers
- 3 times more likely to have a non-inclusive manager
- 3 times more likely to work in a non-inclusive organisation.1
Class inclusion is better for employees
Class marginalised employees2 who work in inclusive organisations3 are:
- 9.5 times more likely to be very satisfied with their job than class marginalised employees in non-inclusive organisations
- 6.5 times more likely to feel work has a positive impact on their mental health
- 2.5 times more likely to have participated in career development opportunities.
Class inclusion is better for businesses
Class marginalised employees who work in inclusive organisations are:
- 23 times more likely to report that their team is always innovative, compared to class marginalised employees in non-inclusive organisations
- 5.5 times more likely to report their team always works effectively together
- 4 times more likely to feel their team always provides excellent customer service
- 3 times more likely to stay with their current employer.
- Findings drawn from DCA’s 2025-2026 Inclusion@Work Index.
- We have reported on class marginalised employees because our research shows they are much less likely to work in inclusive environments than middle class or class privileged employees. However, the pattern that greater inclusion benefits both employees and business also holds true for middle class and class privileged workers.
- Inclusive Organisational Climate = Respondents scored their organisation on average 4 or above out of 5 (where 5 = highly inclusive, 3 = neither inclusive nor non-inclusive, 1 = not inclusive at all).