Working Towards The Real Living Wage
The Real Living Wage is £9.50 an hour. That’s the hourly rate the Living Wage Foundation recommends people need to live. How do they calculate it? By looking at the price of a shopping basket of food and household goods.
What do we do with that information? We work to pay our staff the Real Living Wage with our commercial cleaning customers and use this rate of pay when quoting for new business. Why? So a surprise dentist trip and the weekly food shop don’t floor our cleaning operatives. All our staff are paid the same rate of pay, no matter their age, unlike the minimum wage. As a result, they know they’re all valued by our company.
What’s The Difference Between The Real Living Wage & The Minimum Wage?
The minimum wage is the legal minimum someone of school leaving age and up to 22 years old can be paid in the UK. Importantly the value varies depending on your age. It’s currently £8.36 for 21-22 year olds and £4.62 for under 18s.
The national living wage is the statutory minimum adults over 23 can be paid. This is set by the Government and it’s £8.91 for 2021.
The Real Living Wage is a voluntary wage rate, for people aged 18 and over. This is £9.50 an hour across the UK and £10.85 in London. How do they reach that figure? It’s calculated every year. The amount they recommend covers the cost of living. The annual increases can vary depending on the cost of items people need to buy. And these are impacted by environmental and economic factors plus demand for goods. Because these change all the time. For instance Brexit and the pandemic have a big impact on the cost of goods.
How Do You Implement The Real Living Wage In Your Business?
Firstly we work closely with our customers each year when contracts are reviewed and talk about the Real Living Wage. Why? Because we look to increase contracts to cover the Real Living Wage costs which increase every year. Secondly, every time we quote for a new commercial cleaning contract we use the Real Living Wage or higher. So that prospective customers know we value our employees.
However, not all customers will chose to use this as its an extra cost to them. So we always work together to talk about the benefits of paying our staff a good hourly rate. And why its important for staff. This is something we are working to achieve. And as it’s a voluntary scheme and something we positively promote to improve the quality of life for our employees. In summary, we believe in the value of our employees and know they deserve a fair wage.
Can I Talk To You About My Commercial Cleaning And Rates Of Pay?
Yes. Call us on 01908 030031 for a no obligation chat about your commercial cleaning needs and the Living Wage. As a family business we’re always here for a friendly chat. We cover Northampton, Milton Keynes, Luton, Hemel Hempstead or Watford. And the surrounding areas. And we’re ready to get started! We can visit your site in person or give you a virtual quote, all we need from you is the dimensions of your space. Get in touch today or email us.