Seeing a Real Impact with the Real Living Wage

Posted by Glenn Cleaning, November 28, 2018

A shocking United Nations report recently revealed 14 million people in the UK live in poverty and 1.5 million are deemed to be destitute.  So giving workers a living wage is clearly a vital and urgent priority.

But for many families around the country, there’s the official living wage – and there’s a Real Living wage.

Glenn Cleaning is a dedicated supporter of the real variety, as pioneered by the social reformer Tess Lanning. In her words: “Responsible businesses know that the Government minimum is not enough to live on.  Employers that pay the Real Living Wage enable their workers to live a life of dignity, supporting them to pay off debts and meet the pressures of rising bills.”

The Real Living Wage campaign has been running for ten years and has lifted over 45,000 people out of poverty. We believe that every company and public employer should stand next to us and ensure that their employees take home a decent living.

You might say: That’s all well and good, but businesses are having a hard time of it too.  So what’s in it for us?

Well, we’ve found that with the Real Living Wage, everybody wins – ourselves, our staff and our clients. Employees who aren’t suffering from the constant stress of trying to make ends meet are happier and healthier. They’re appreciative of our commitment to their welfare and so we earn their respect and loyalty. They work harder and take more pride in what they do. They take fewer days off work through sickness and begin to see that a job might turn into a long-term career.

Our clients see directly the benefits of our motivated workforce in the standard of their work and their willingness to pull out all the stops when the job demands.

Since our involvement with the movement, we’ve seen a tremendous growth in teamwork – the creation of an environment in which people at all levels in the company come together to solve problems and explore new ways of working. That has to be good for all concerned. For one thing, according to research, 80% of employers report that their staff have delivered a better quality of work since they have been paid the Real Living Wage.

There’s a knock-on effect, too. Word gets around that we’re a Real Living Wage employer and so we enjoy the pick of the best workers available.

It’s your call

Of course, we don’t insist that you join us in supporting the movement. Because we’re a Recognised Service Provider we always provide our clients with two cost options, one of which takes into consideration the real living wage in their part of the country.

However, we also encourage them to opt for the living wage option, even if it means we reduce what we earn.

We hope that if you haven’t already joined us in supporting this important, positive initiative, you’ll give it some serious thought for the future.