Why After Digital Supports The National Living Wage.
Last year, the Living Wage Foundation celebrated its 20th anniversary and here at AD, we’re proud to be an accredited employer.
At the beginning of 2022, After Digital made the decision to officially become a member of the foundation. As an accredited employer, we’ve made a commitment to pay all of our contracted staff at least the Living Wage, set by the Living Wage Foundation each year. As employers, we feel we have a duty to ensure we support fair wages for all employees. So, by supporting the Living Wage Foundation, we’re ensuring all of our employees receive fair remuneration for the work they do. To us, it seems only logical that the minimum full time wage should be no less than the amount required to live.
In becoming a Real Living Wage accredited employer, we pledged to never pay an employee less than £19,305 per annum for full time work (based on example calculation £9.90x37.5x52). As a company in a sector where most of our workers are highly skilled and naturally attract higher salaries, some people might question why this matters. Although it's true that all of our current employees are paid significantly more than the Living Wage, we still feel this issue is one we should support, if only to set an example to other businesses, whether they’re fellow agencies, or arts organisations.
You can find the current National Living and Minimum Wage rates below. There is an obvious disparity across the board and we want to make sure that our employees are fairly compensated for their work. We’re well aware that our team is the reason behind our success and we want to show our appreciation for them.
By being an accredited employer, we’ve been able to attract some talented individuals – especially in our entry level positions, where we’ve been able to hire graduates who are new to the industry and keen to learn. Offering the real Living Wage as a minimum creates a more welcoming start for someone who’s new to the sector or starting out on their career journey. It also ensures they know their worth as an employee, and as part of our team. It’s not uncommon for interns in particular to serve their internship and receive no remuneration for the hours of time, skills, work and ideas they bring to the table. Here at After Digital we believe that all staff members should be treated and compensated fairly for the work they do and the contributions they make to the company.
“As a business we are committed to creating the best possible environment for our people. Clearly paying people fairly is a key part of that, so signing up to be a Living Wage employer was a no-brainer!”
We hope that this significant increase will go a long way in easing the pressures faced by many during cost of living crisis we’re all facing. We highly recommend that all businesses become accredited Living Wage employers and ensure that they fairly compensate their staff at all levels. Find out how you can become accredited today and if you want to hear more from AD, make sure you follow us on Linkedin, Twitter, and Instagram or subscribe to our newsletter.