AS one of the biggest employers in a rural, generally low-wage area, BDS has been keen to support the Living Wage policy.
The Dumfries-based business was one of the first to seek Scottish living wage accreditation in the hope that it would have a knock-on effect on other employers in the area.
A provider of metadata and digital services to libraries and businesses, BDS supplies all the public libraries in the UK and has clients all over the world.
“As soon as I heard about the Living Wage accreditation I felt it was an initiative we had to support” says Managing Director Lesley Whyte.
“The process was easy for us, because most of our 70 employees were already paid in excess of the Living Wage, but we did have to commit to increasing the remuneration of our Interns and some staff on hourly rates. However, the value in the commitment made was that we were making a public statement about the importance of paying people a decent wage commensurate to their contribution to our business, and reaffirming that we value the work our employees undertake.”
Whyte added: “In our business we have invested in our staff, both in terms of training and development, and they in turn show great commitment and produce a quality service for a global market. It is only appropriate that they are rewarded with a salary structure that meets national recommendations.”
Whyte is delighted that BDS’s commitment to the Living Wage has had a positive effect on its suppliers.
“We rent a managed facility, and one of the conditions of Living Wage Accreditation is that you encourage your suppliers to move towards Living Wage Accreditation. The management company supporting our property indicated that they were working towards a phased implementation. The Living Wage has a much more aspirational connotation than the Minimum Wage, where the inference was that employers were paying as little as they possibly could.
I accept that the introduction of the Living Wage may have a significant implication for certain sectors of employment, but anything that can be done to raise awareness of the scheme for service industries is positive, and ultimately may result in workers having a better quality of life. I believe that a more motivated workforce produces better results for a business.“
The accreditation showing that BDS is a living wage employer can also be used to positive effect when the company is recruiting, according to Whyte.
“The fact that people know they will be paid at least the Living Wage is always attractive,” she said. “It makes a positive statement about the business and our commitment to the people who work here. I also believe that the employees in the business are encouraged to know that all their colleagues are paid in accordance with Living Wage guidelines.”
Established 22 years ago, BDS aggregates data on books, DVD, music, games, e-books, audio books that builds into a complete media stockholding.
Extended content including images, sound and video clips, screenshots, descriptions, contents pages and music artist biographies is also available. The company’s biggest customer is the British Library so BDS’s database goes to libraries all over the world.
Since it was launched in April 2014, more than 500 organisations in Scotland have signed up to the scheme to become accredited as official living wage employers, giving their workers at least £8.45 per hour.
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