Class-discrepancy: Exploring social class differences at work

With increasing recognition that social class plays an important role in individuals’ workplace experiences we would benefit from a better understanding of its impact on organisations and their employees. Yet, very little research has examined social class in an organisational context. Using mixed methods we propose a two-stage methodology to 1) quantitatively investigate the experiences of individuals in class-discrepant positions and the impact on their workplace anxiety and 2) to qualitatively explore their engagement with ‘class work’ to mitigate this anxiety. It is part of a wider project that investigates how organisational and individual factors within the workplace contribute to social class differences and inequality. The research is in a developmental stage with a pilot study of the first stage of the project currently being undertaken. The final paper submission will include data collected from the pilot study and preliminary findings from the interviews.