EVEN small companies can improve staff retention, job satisfaction, and productivity simply by committing to paying all staff the living wage.
That’s the belief of Edinburgh-based 4CornerNetworks who have made a pledge to pay all their employees at least the UK national living wage, regardless of their role in the company.
“Understandably, we want our staff to work to their full potential, be productive and loyal to our company,” said managing director Kevin Robertson.
“In return we offer our staff not only the living wage, but the role of each employee has been enriched to ensure individuals have more responsibility, job satisfaction and develop their skills.
“As responsible employers, it is our duty to ensure our staff are happy both in and outside of the workplace.
“Morale is lifted when employees feel valued and are adequately rewarded for their commitment to working with our company.”
The business, which was started by Robertson four years ago and now employs eight people, adopted national living wage accreditation early in 2015, partly as an inspiration to other small companies and companies within the IT and outsourcing industry.
“At 4CornerNetworks we don’t just offer our staff what the law says is sufficient, we offer what we think they truly deserve – financial stability, peace of mind and job enrichment,” Robertson added.
“We’re a small company who employ high-end engineers, but the living wage made us look at how this impacts our recruitment, staff development and job satisfaction levels. Overall it’s had a positive impact on our company and our staff.”
The firm specialises in the provision of Cisco certified network engineers for both on-site and remote client requirements anywhere in the UK and internationally.
A Cisco certified network engineer is trained and responsible for the maintenance, configuration and trouble-shooting of complex IT network infrastructure – everything from wireless networks that give access to the internet through to network security that helps keep bank, utility and email accounts safe.
Their clients range from major global telecommunications providers and managed service-providers to Cisco partners and IT companies. Where many organisations lack specialist Cisco network engineers in-house, 4CornerNetworks can provide fully certified Cisco engineers for installations, multi-site deployments, configurations, upgrades and general network maintenance.
“We’re a nimble little company,” said head of marketing Jason King.
“We make a difference by responding quickly to our client demands.
“For example, we attract website-users through digital marketing. Once we have a website visitor, we engage with them on our live chat function, collect their details and they receive a return phone call immediately.
“It is our goal to meet the expectations and align next steps with all clients within that first hour from contact. So we very much offer our clients an experience rather than a service”.
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.
Those in the scheme are pledged to pay staff at least £8.25 per hour.
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