Katherine Chapman, Director, Living Wage Foundation, reports.
In a fiercely competitive industry like cleaning, where margins are tight and turnover is high, firms looking for an edge should consider a tried and tested strategic investment: paying the real Living Wage.
Even though cleaning is difficult, skilled work, more than one in four cleaning jobs are still paid below the real Living Wage. The real Living Wage is the only UK wage rate based on what it costs to live. It is currently £12.60 across the UK and £13.85 in London to reflect higher living costs in the capital. Paying this rate means workers can afford the basics like food and rent, but also little treats like a day out or birthday presents for the family.
Paying a real Living Wage isn’t just good for workers, it makes good business sense too. Our network of over 16,000 accredited Living Wage Employers, including over 200 cleaning companies and 20 facilities management firms, tell us over and over again that it strengthens their businesses. That’s because decent pay attracts more applicants, improves retention, and produces a more motivated and productive workforce with lower rates of absenteeism. That’s a lot of money saved on recruitment and training costs, inefficiency and lost working days.
Take Nick Cooper, Managing Director of Adept Corporate Services, who found paying the real Living Wage so beneficial to his business that he was one of the first to also sign up to provide regular, secure working hours and a decent pension through our Living Hours and Living Pension accreditations. Nick explains the impact: “I’ve never worked for a security or cleaning company with such high retention rates for staff. Every new starter costs us around £800 in training, uniform and induction. With a 94 per cent retention rate, our savings are massive. We’ve also picked up new business because our staff are happy. We reckon we’ve saved tens of thousands from offering the Living Wage and Living Hours.”
This kind of consistency and reliability is essential in the cleaning sector where high standards of work, continuity of service and respectful conduct mean satisfied customers and securing new contracts.
For cleaning firms, paying the real Living Wage isn’t just the right thing to do, it brings clear business benefits. Companies who invest in their staff are rewarded with improved recruitment and retention, higher staff motivation and productivity, reduced absenteeism and a better reputation. Cleaning firms should not miss out on this opportunity. They should accredit with the Living Wage Foundation today and reap the benefits of work that works for everyone.
If you are a service provider looking to accredit or find out more about how you can go further to promote the Living Wage, take a look at our toolkit here: www.livingwage.org.uk/living-wage-service-provision-toolkit
https://www.livingwage.org.uk/
About the contributor
Katherine Chapman
Director
Living Wage Foundation