We have always firmly believed that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay. Our team works incredibly hard to produce our Mellow Yellow products to the highest quality, working with expensive equipment and requiring many skills to get the job done. Because of this, we have always paid above the minimum wage and now we are very proud to announce that we have now been certified as a Living Wage Employer!
What is a Living Wage Employer?
In the UK, the National Minimum Wage applies to all those under 23 years of age, and then the National Living Wage applies to all those above 23 years of age. However, this National Living Wage does not take into account the actual, real-world cost of living. So that is where the Living Wage Foundation steps in and each year they calculate the real Living Wage, based on rent, bills, etc.
It applies to all workers over 18, recognising that young people have the same living costs as everyone else. There is also a higher rate for London which takes into account the higher living costs in the capital.
The real Living Wage is independently calculated based on a public consultation method called Minimum Income Standard (MIS). MIS identifies what people need to be able to afford as a minimum. This is fed into a calculation of what someone needs to earn as a full-time salary, which is then converted to an hourly rate.
Why pay the Living Wage?
We firmly believe that all employees deserve a wage which meets everyday needs – like the weekly shop, the electricity bill or a surprise trip to the dentist.
The past year’s pandemic has affected us all, but the poorest have been hit hardest. Two thirds of those earning below the Living Wage saw their pay fall last year, with devastating effects. More than a quarter of those earning below the real Living Wage were forced to regularly skip meals, while nearly half saw a negative impact on their levels of anxiety. Despite the pandemic shining a spotlight on the importance of low paid workers, over 5.5 million continue to earn less than the Living Wage, that’s 20.3% of all workers in the UK not earning a real Living Wage.
93% of university graduates want to work for a Living Wage Employer
93% of the Living Wage network say it has benefitted their business
90% of consumers agree that pay should reflect living costs
85% of Living Wage Employers said it has enhanced their reputation as an employer
We are so proud to be a Living Wage Employer, showing our commitment to our employees and our belief that you should be able to earn a wage you can live on.
Who else pays the Living Wage?
The real Living Wage is the only UK wage rate that is voluntarily paid by over 8,000 UK businesses, from major UK corporations to small and medium businesses like us!
You can find Living Wage Employers near you with this map: https://www.livingwage.org.uk/living-wage-map
Learn more about the real Living Wage here: https://www.livingwage.org.uk/