The many benefits of the Living Wage

Perthshire businesses already paying a real Living Wage are benefiting just as much as their staff. That was the positive message from the Poverty Alliance’s Living Wage Accreditation Officer, Lynn Cunningham, who was one of the guest speakers at last month’s Perthshire Businesswomen’s Network’s Striving For Excellence event in Errol.

Newly-appointed, Lynn is championing the business benefits of paying the real Living Wage of £8.45 an hour to the Tayside area’s employers and influencers.

Lynn said: “When PBN board member Tricia Fox invited me to speak at this high-profile monthly business event, I jumped at the opportunity to share the very real advantages of paying a real Living Wage.

“The link between paying the real Living Wage and what you get from staff in return is well documented. Research has proved that if staff are treated well, employers will reap the benefits of increased productivity, better attendance levels and a strongly-motivated workforce.

“Becoming a Living Wage employer sends a strong message about company values, which in turn makes it easier to recruit – and retain – top-quality staff.

“It can also attract ethicallyresponsible consumers and even extends to competitive tendering.

“By being accredited as a real Living Wage employer – like Perth & Kinross Council – companies and organisations can demonstrate their commitment to Fair Work when tendering for public sector work.

“Achieving accreditation boosts the reputation of a business, which is why many employers in Perthshire are proudly displaying the Living Wage ‘badge’ on their websites, on social media or even in their windows.

“I know there are lots of employers in Perthshire already doing this so it makes sense they enjoy public recognition for this and get accredited.”

She added: “I’m keen to get the message across to the business community and am happy to come out to speak to employers, staff and business organisations.”

PBN board member Tricia Fox has been championing the real Living Wage since her award-winning marketing & PR agency became an accredited Living Wage employer in April 2015.

Tricia Fox, managing director of Perth-based Volpa, explained: “Being a responsible business is about making a difference to both your customers and your employees; it’s not just about delivering profit to the bottom line in any given year.

“Employees are at the heart of any business and it’s important to have a team that are focused on delivering your business exceptional results.

“Not only that, becoming a Living Wage Employer can boost the profile of your business and it’s a great thing to be able to shout about through the media and on social media. Modern employers really need to start asking themselves how they can pay a living wage, not if.”

Tricia continued: “I’m proud that Volpa can call itself a Living Wage Employer and I’m happy to support the movement in encouraging other businesses to help to make in-work poverty a thing of the past.”

Perthshire Businesswomen’s Network holds regular events and networking sessions aimed at the area’s female entrepreneurs and businesswomen.

PBN’s 2017 Striving For Excellence series has attracted an impressive lineup of inspirational speakers including Iain Hutchison (managing director of world-leading drilling engineering experts Merlin ERD) and, most recently, Ali and Bob Abercrombie (co-owners of the award-winning AliBob Café at Cairn O’Mohr Winery in Errol).

The line-up for the rest of the year includes Helen Smout (chief executive of Culture Perth & Kinross), Oli Norman (founder and owner of deals online site itison and Dada PR) and Chris van der Kuyl (co-founder of 4J Studios and developer of the Minecraft console editions).

Lynn Cunningham.