This week is Living Wage Week (4-10 November), an awareness campaign that’s close to the hearts of everyone here at Kirkwood.
Living Wage Week, organised by the Living Wage Foundation, celebrates the growing number of businesses that are becoming Living Wage accredited and paying a real Living Wage.
We’re extremely proud to be a Living Wage and Living Hours employer, and we’re committed to spreading the word by encouraging other employers to join us.
Living Wage Week: The Catalyst For Change
The financial pressures facing businesses across the UK are real, made worse by last week’s announcement in the Budget that employers’ National Insurance contributions are set to skyrocket.
Small businesses like ours feel these pressures more keenly. In addition, businesses up and down the country are still recovering from the impact of COVID-19, which has had a devastating effect, particularly on smaller businesses.
That being said, we feel it’s our duty and responsibility to be part of the Real Living Wage movement. It has the potential to be the catalyst for change across the UK, ensuring everyone is paid fairly and can enjoy a better standard of living.
The Benefits Of Paying A Real Living Wage
All our employees and associates have been paid over the London Living Wage for many years now. Along with a fair holiday allowance, a generous pension scheme and healthy childcare packages, paying over the London Living Wage takes the pressure off our people.
We’re an accredited Living Wage and Living Hours employer, something we’re fiercely proud of. We’re always looking for ways to improve our offering to our workforce, which is why we’re currently in the process of applying for the Living Pensions Employer accreditation.
These accreditations don’t just help our employees; they help us as a business. We only recruit for organisations that pay the Living Wage, meaning we can guarantee that everyone we work with earns a fair wage.
This approach allows us to lead by example, showing potential clients the real benefits of paying a Real Living Wage whilst campaigning for change among our current clients.
A Growing Movement
We know paying the Real Living Wage is good for business. But don’t take our word for it – other accredited Living Wage employers recognise the benefits of paying a Real Living Wage too.
A recent survey of over 1,500 Living Wage employers found 87% of them felt the accreditation improved their reputation. What’s more, over 60% said the accreditation improved the recruitment process. Overall, over 90% felt their business had benefitted from achieving the Real Living Wage accreditation.
We’re proud to be a Living Wage Employer and thrilled to work with other Living Wage employers based in London and further afield across the UK.
One of these is the East London Business Alliance, whose CEO Julie Hutchinson is as passionate about paying a fair wage as we are.
Ahead of Living Wage Week, she told us: “We are extremely proud to be a London Living Wage employer recognising the value of hard work and talent. It is extremely difficult to make ends meet, and to live a fulfilled life with choices which take money. With the cost of living increasing exponentially over the last few years, we know only too well how hard financial struggle is and how poverty can affect an individual.”
Get On Board With Living Wage Week
Ready to find out how your business can join the growing number of organisations paying the minimum wage for London and elsewhere in the country?
The Living Wage Foundation has a huge array of information and resources to help you on your journey to becoming a Living Wage employer.
We’re reaping the rewards of being a Living Wage accredited organisation – you can too. Learn more about Living Wage Week and the Living Wage Foundation here: livingwage.org.uk/.
Or follow the campaign on social media using the hashtag #livingwage.
Looking Beyond A Real Living Wage
Paying a Real Living Wage is just one of the many ways businesses can support their people, allowing them to flourish at work and in their personal lives.
At Kirkwood, we believe high-quality training programmes allow your employees to reach their potential and shine in their roles, bringing a whole host of benefits to your workforce and the wider organisation.
Contact us now to learn how we can help your business with our bespoke courses and programmes.
