The Living Wage Foundation is an organisation that campaigns for fair pay and conditions for workers. Its aim is to raise awareness of the benefits of better employment standards to provide stability and a more dignified quality of life for employees across the UK.
Here are some of the initiatives that employers can adopt to make a real difference:
The Real Living Wage
The real Living Wage is an hourly rate of pay, independently calculated each year based on the real cost of living in the UK and London.
In 2001, families came together and started a campaign to be paid a real Living Wage. Since then, the campaign has transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of workers and their families, with a wage that they can live on.
Tens of thousands of employers choose to go further than the government minimum and voluntarily pay the real Living Wage to all of their staff, including their contracted workers.
The Living Wage Employer accreditation is the mark of a responsible employer choosing to do the right thing by their employees.
The real Living Wage is the only UK wage rate independently calculated based on what employees and their families need to live.
• That’s why it's higher than the minimum wage.
• Employers voluntarily choose to pay it, changing people’s lives right now.
• The real Living Wage includes a UK rate and a separate London rate that reflects the higher costs of living in the capital.
• It applies to all workers over 18.
Why the Living Wage matters to workers...
"There isn’t a constant worry about bills."
"I feel valued as an employee."
"I can be the parent I want to be."
"We’ve got more time for ourselves and our family.
94% of Living Wage Employers have benefited since accrediting.
90% of consumers are more likely to buy from a Living Wage Employer.
85% of investors state that investment in employees is an important factor in their decision-making.
66% say it helps differentiate themselves from others in their industry.
87% say it has improved the reputation of the business.
64% say it has improved relations between managers and staff.
62% say it improved recruitment of employees into Living Wage jobs.
60% say it has improved retention of their Living Wage employees.
The rates are independently calculated annually by the Living Wage Commission, based on the best available evidence about living standards in London and the UK. As well as essentials like bills, food and rent, the Living Wage calculation includes the everyday costs needed for a dignified life, like repairing a broken boiler, visiting the dentist, or buying a warm winter coat for your child.
Find out more: livingwage.org.uk
Click here to find out more about becoming a Living Hours employer