ORGANISATIONS of all sizes should take initiative and change their culture to ensure employees know their worth, according to one Scottish entrepreneur.
This includes signing up for living wage accreditation, says Philip Orr of Glasgow-based technology company Synaptec.
He believes it is particularly important for new small businesses to factor in the real living wage as soon as they can.
“It’s very impactful when large companies sign up to the living wage of course, but I don’t think small growing companies should ignore it,” he said. “If you don’t make your social beliefs part of your company culture early on, soon it may be too late as you will have built up significant resistance to cultural change.”
A former researcher in the University of Strathclyde’s Electrical Engineering Department, Orr started Synaptec based on technology developed there.
“I always wanted to have my own company doing really innovative things with like-minded people, so I took the opportunity to be the one to take the technology out of the University and into industry.”
Three years on, Synaptec employs six people with a range of ages and experience.
It is a close-knit team of engineers and physicists, developing new measurement technologies for the power industries.
The business has worked with utility companies like ScottishPower and SSE to develop and deploy new solutions to the challenge of monitoring and managing the electricity grid, helping them to connect more clean, renewable generation and to cope with the natural variability of wind and sun.
Orr says that with a small team, in a high-pressure “startup” environment, it’s particularly important that everyone knows they are valued, and that what they do and how they feel matters.
“Everyone has to be on the same page, working towards the same objective, otherwise you’re going to go nowhere,” he said.
Synaptec signed up for Scottish Living Wage Accreditation in its first year as Orr decided it should be something the business is part of and shows public support for.
“I believe that organisations big and small should take the initiative to change their culture to ensure that workers know their worth,” he said. “The living wage is one mechanism for this which also directly impacts on quality of life.”
He pointed out that accreditation acts as a symbol that lets the public know Synaptec is a modern, progressive company that takes its social obligations seriously.
“I hope that those considering applying to work at Synaptec see it that way too,” he said. “I think this matters particularly to young people today, who are very socially aware. I think they are seeking a place to work that is more than just a job, and where people are treated as more than just human resource.”
The real living wage for the UK – outside London – is currently £8.75 per hour. These figures are calculated by the Resolution Foundation and overseen by the Living Wage Commission, based on evidence on living standards across the UK.
Employers choose to pay the real living wage on a voluntary basis.
Westminster’s so-called “living wage” is merely a minimum wage rate for staff over 25-years-old. It was introduced in April 2016 and the rate is £7.83 per hour as of April 2018. The Government rate is based on median earnings.
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