Freshwater among first accredited Living Wage Employers

As an initiative of Living Wage Week, the Living Wage Foundation has reviewed its recommended rate of pay and named its accredited Living Wage Employers. At Freshwater, we’re doing our bit to promote fairer pay…

Throughout November 2015 the hashtag #LivingWage will increase its presence on social media, giving a nod those who pay the recommended living wage and a slight nudge to those who do not.

Launched on 2 November, the Living Wage Week aims to bring the issue front of mind.

Organised by the Living Wage Foundation, and supported by Living Wage Employers such as Freshwater, the week of celebration and awareness will champion the fair payment of workers across all sectors in the UK.

The announcement of those with accredited status hopes to drive other employers to promote the issue further.

The current living wage (November 2015), sits at £9.40 in London and £8.25 across the rest of the UK. These figures support a realistic rate of pay that would complement a healthy standard of living.

Freshwater became accredited in 2015 for paying office staff in Cardiff and London and our pan-UK consultants the recommended living wage for some time.

‘Why we must value the truth and pay people properly to communicate it’, an article by Freshwater’s chief executive Steve Howell, affirmed our position on fair pay in the communications industry earlier in the year.

After supporting the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) position on paying interns properly in the article, becoming one of the first companies in the UK to register as a Living Wage Employer seemed like a natural next step in raising awareness around the issue.

Under 25s and those from lower economic backgrounds are seen to be the most affected by unfair pay. This poses a problem in creating social-parity within some industries.

Sarah Whittle, Freshwater’s head of HR (pictured), advocates a strong message to set an example, “At Freshwater, we genuinely value our people, and are acutely aware that everyone is dedicated and hard working.

“It is important that we show responsible leadership and demonstrate our commitment to supporting our employees with all our HR practices. By applying the Living Wage, we know we are doing the right thing and making a difference for each individual.”

As one of the few Living Wage Employers in the UK, we hope to inspire other companies to follow suit for the sake of fair pay.

Freshwater is an independent communications consultancy with a range of expertise from crisis communications and media training to events and creative media production.

For more updates on the Living Wage, follow @LivingWageUK on Twitter.