Party Ingredients has announced that they are the 578th business in the UK to pay the Living Wage.
Responsible action
Party Ingredients believes that paying the Living Wage is a responsible action that allows people to sustain themselves, which gives them dignity and improves their overall quality of life. A total of 88 out of 130 members of staff, mainly waiting staff and cleaners, within the company were directly affected by the increase and began to reap the benefits before the official accreditation.
The company has stated that sustainability is a massive part of everything they do, “If our staff can’t sustain themselves we are failing not only our employees, but we are failing at being truly a sustainable business” said Mrs O’Hare. The company sees the Living Wage as fundamental to the aim to be a fully sustainable company, a step beyond responsible working practice really addresses their social responsibility.
85% paid below Living Wage
Research has shown that 85% of bar and waiting staff are paid below the Living Wage, which is currently set at £7.65 for the UK and £8.80 for London.
Many low paid workers often have more than one job in order to make ends meet, which then means that they have very limited time and money to enjoy a decent quality of life. Employers who have already started to pay the living wage have not only greatly improved the lives of their employees but have noticed several benefits themselves, including a noticeable improvement in employee productivity, improved staff retention and a 25% decrease in absenteeism.
Reducing state benefits
Paying the Living Wage has a much wider reaching benefit in that it reduces the number of people who rely on the state to subsidise their low wages. Mrs O’Hare highlights this point by saying “It is everyone’s responsibility to help this country recover from recession. If people are paid a wage they can realistically live on they will not need the state to subsidise them and the money can be used in more productive ways to benefit more people.”
Only 14 accredited hospitality employers paying the Living Wage
There are currently only 14 accredited hospitality employers paying the Living Wage. The hospitality industry will continue to be marginalised as a “stop gap” career option unless wages and progression are addressed by more employers.
Tom Clarkson, Event Staffing Manager at Party Ingredients says that the culture at the company is focused around job satisfaction. “We pride ourselves on having a happy work force which allows us to deliver an exceptional level of customer service. Job satisfaction is key to ensuring a high level or service can be delivered and that simply can’t happen if hard work is inadequately rewarded.”
Party Ingredients urge all of their stakeholders to ensure that their lowest paid staff are paid at least the Living Wage and take responsibility for their social impact as employers. Sarah Haggie from the Sales Department says “The more companies who come on board with the Living Wage the greater the social impact and the more significant the changes.”
To find out more about Living Wage and how to become a Living Wage Employer click here
For more information about Party Ingredients click here