The Royal Borough of Greenwich is celebrating Living Wage Week 2024 with the news that 124 local businesses have now been accredited as Living Wage Employers.
The number of accredited businesses in the borough has increased by 37% since 2022, helped by the Council introducing a grant scheme to cover the full cost of three years’ worth of accreditation from the Living Wage Foundation. The list of 124 accredited businesses includes 103 independent businesses and 21 chains, representing 23,706 employees within the borough.
A Council spokesperson said: “The Living Wage initiative is at the heart of our work to create a more inclusive economy in Royal Greenwich, by tackling in-work poverty and helping businesses build stronger, healthier and more motivated teams. It’s an important way to ensure local people can earn enough to support themselves and their families.
“We’re very proud to have been a Living Wage Employer since 2013 and to have seen the number of Living Wage Employers in the borough increase. The next step is for us to become a Living Wage Place and get even more businesses throughout the borough involved.
“This year, Royal Greenwich is working with four other south London councils – Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton and Southwark – to help promote the scheme to even more local businesses across the region. We hope many more local companies will take advantage of our grant scheme during Living Wage Week 2024 and join the movement.”
Christina Hsieh, founder of Matter, a structural engineering company based on the Greenwich Peninsula, said: “We’re very proud to be a Living Wage Employer. We want to treat our employees fairly and show we care about them, so they will be happier, more secure and do better work. And our approach seems to be working well because we won the award for Professional Services in the Best of Royal Greenwich Business Awards 2023!”
What are the benefits of the Living Wage scheme for businesses?
Accredited employers have reported a variety of benefits:
seeing a reduction in staff not coming into work or taking sick leave
receiving better quality job applications
finding it easier to recruit and retain staff
seeing a significant boost to staff morale and productivity
seeing improved brand awareness
securing more contracts and funding
Living Wage Employers have made significant savings by reducing absenteeism and turnover and improving productivity. These savings have both helped offset the initial cost of increasing the wage bill and led to significant improvements in services.
What does the Council’s Living Wage Employer grant scheme offer?
Living Wage Employers in Royal Greenwich will receive:
a grant to cover the full cost of three years of accreditation
invitations to networking events with fellow Living Wage Employers
a code to receive a 20% discount off the first year of membership of the Southeast London Chamber of Commerce (SELCC). Find out more at selondonchamber.org
the opportunity to be included on the Council’s webpage promoting Living Wage employers and also be part of our Living Wage Week Campaign.
