This week is Living Wage Foundation week. Knowing that our staff are paid fairly is not just about doing the right thing, it comes back to who we are and where all this started; our values and common sense.
The Living Wage Foundation is an organisation that sets a level pay based on what people need to live. It's different (and more) than the government's minimum wage as it's calculated on what employees and families actually need to live. So this is more than just bills and the weekly shop. It covers things like those surprise trips to the dentist.
In July, in the midst of the pandemic, we kept our promise to our team and moved to living wage foundation pay. Are we proud this? Not quite - we wanted to do it years ago. But we’re delighted that even though we were threatened by the effects of the pandemic, we didn’t change our plan. It shows our commitment to putting people and the planet before profit.
As a brand with a deeply engrained passion for the outdoors, the wild places and how important this is to society, there are a number of key factors that underpin the company. We put a tremendous focus on our technical garments and equipment, our sustainability principles and ensuring we source product ethically. But also, that we can give back to our community through the work of our Alpkit Foundation. We are certainly not about doing the minimum, far from it. We are activists, we get things done and fuel great experiences; so, it was fundamental to our values that we worked towards paying our staff the Living Wage and by being accredited we are holding ourselves to account on a yearly basis.
For more information about how this level of pay is set visit the Living Wage Foundation website.