Tag Archives: Lewisham

Sharing the benefits of being a Living Wage employer

The increased costs of paying higher wages are a concern to many businesses, so London Living Wage employer CAM Specialist Support – a commercial high-level cleaning and building maintenance business – was happy to share its experiences of the benefits with a group of local businesses recently.

Speaking at an event organised by Lewisham Council, Sean Canty, Director at CAM, outlined what the Living Wage means to the business and admitted: “we understand why companies might be reluctant to join the London Living Wage scheme, but any uncertainty is behind us now. We have always looked to pay our staff well and paid the London Living Wage rate for a couple of years before becoming officially accredited.”

Since receiving the official accreditation, CAM has seen a better quality of applicants for vacant posts within the company and staff retention and engagement has improved. It has also led to a reduction in absenteeism.

“We’ve found that there is greater awareness of CAM from both existing and potential customers – some of which insist their contractors are accredited – and that we can add value to their businesses now we have the accreditation. This has all helped to grow our business,” said Sean.

Fellow director Matt Johnson added: “Paying the London Living Wage has enhanced the way we view ourselves as a company, and the way we are viewed by existing and potential customers. Our initial fear that we would need to reduce our staff levels to cope with the costs has proved unfounded thanks to the extra business we’ve been able to secure.”

The event was hosted by the Mayor of Lewisham and also featured a presentation from Katherine Chapman of the Living Wage Foundation and the announcement of a business rate rebate scheme for Living Wage employers in the London Borough of Lewisham to help them with accreditation costs.

Unexpected reward for paying London Living Wage

Working at height expert, CAM Specialist Support has been presented with the London Borough of Lewisham’s Employer of the Year award for commitment to its staff, including paying the London Living Wage.

The picture shows the award being presented to CAM Director, Matt Johnson (left), by Sir Steve Bullock, Mayor of Lewisham, when he visited the Company’s offices, along with council colleagues, as part of Living Wage Week. The council delegation wanted to find out about CAM’s experience of paying the London Living Wage and developing its workforce through apprenticeships. CAM is one of only two private sector organisations in the borough accredited by the Living Wage Foundation.

Matt Johnson explained: “We pay the Living Wage, because we believe it is the right thing to do morally. We want everyone who works here to be able to feed and clothe their families and not be worrying about in-work poverty. As well as the moral benefits, we’ve found there are commercial returns as staff are more loyal and flexible when they are being treated with respect, reducing recruitment time and costs. Paying the Living Wage also means people are less likely to take shortcuts while working and we have an excellent safety record as a result.

“We were honoured when the Mayor wanted to come and visit us to discuss how we work and how other businesses can be encouraged to join the Living Wage movement. We were surprised and delighted when he presented us with the Employer of the Year award, as it is always great to be recognised for doing the right thing. We hope more businesses will realise the benefits of paying the Living Wage to their staff and contractors so that everyone receives a fairer deal.”