We’re an Accredited Living Wage Employer
A Journey to Better Business
From the outset, we decided - if we’re going to run a business, we going to run a good business. One that does not put profit as the driver of everything. A business that makes choices for the world we want to be part of.
During our journey of becoming BCorp, we have used the BLab assessment as an education of ways we can serve our community, our people and the planet whilst still making a profit.
When talking people, we consider lots of lovely benefits of working here, but first things first, people need to get paid fairly. Wages are low here in Cornwall generally, and we want to vote for an environment where people are paid enough to meet their every day needs, at minimum, which is why we have joined the Living Wage Foundation and are now an accredited Living Wage Employer.
The Benefits of Paying the Living Wage
As a business, we can only see benefits of paying the living wage - not only for employees directly, but for the local economy and the greater economy as whole - the more money is spread amongst regular people, the better. Very simply put, when a small group of people become richer and richer, money goes to super yachts and mansions - instead, lets spread financial stability among a greater group of people and keep it circulating in economy.
What is the Living Wage?
The living wage is the minimum income needed for a worker and their family to meet their everyday needs, including housing, food, transport, childcare, and other essential expenses. It is calculated independently by the Living Wage Foundation, based on the cost of living in the UK.
The living wage is higher than the minimum wage, which is the legally mandated lowest wage rate that employers can pay workers.
The Living Wage Foundation is a UK-based organisation sets the living wage and campaigns for businesses to pay it.
We have joined the Living Wage Foundation to show we care and hopefully inspire more companies to do the same.
How to be a Living Wage Employer as a Small Business?
As a small business, its not alwasy easy making the right decisions, as budgets are tight - we don't have the resources big business do - but that doesn't mean we can't take small, accessible steps that align with the values of our brand.
People are important and paying a living wage isn't only fair, but hopefully it will also increase retention - which in the long term means that it will actually cost your small business less when you look after your teams.