As a design studio, we are proud to provide
our team with a real cost of living wage.
our team with a real cost of living wage.
We have joined 11,000 other UK employers, including Aviva, Ikea and Nestle in providing a real living wage for our staff. We hope this will help pay for the weekly shop, utility bills, a checkup at the dentist or maybe even a cheeky Nandos!
Jokes aside, we know it is a very expensive time of year and for anybody new joining our team we want you to feel supported and secure in embarking on a career in video, design and animation in 2023.
A bit of history...
In April 2016 the government introduced a higher minimum wage rate for all staff over 25 years of age inspired by the Living Wage campaign – aptly calling it the ‘national living wage’.
Even though this was a positive step forward, the wage itself was not calculated in line with what employees and their families needed to live. Instead, it was based on a target to reach 66% of median earnings by 2024 – Typical government (sigh). In real terms, this meant a rise to £10.50 per hour by 2024, and from 2021 it was adjusted to include those over 23 years old, with this minimum amount taking into account what is realistically affordable for businesses.
So what is the ‘real’ living wage I hear you ask? The real living wage rates are higher because they are independently calculated based on what people actually need to live. That’s why employers, like us, who can help out do so in a realistic way and not just to a government minimum.
The benefits we all get:
93% of living wage employers benefitted from accreditation.
86% reported that it enhanced their general reputation.
80% saw an increase in the quality of work.
We have a very high staff retention rate at SQZD. and we see this as a chance to strengthen our animation studio even more going forward. We have made this commitment alongside a realignment of our company values and just before our move to a new studio in Old Street, London. We have also analysed how we want to operate long-term and who we ideally want to produce work for and whose sustainability aspirations meet ours. In short, we have a real desire to make positive changes where we can.
Image Sources: www.livingwage.org.uk
How can you get involved?
If you want to join the same scheme we did, go to www.livingwage.org.uk/become-a-living-wage-employer to find out more. We would wholeheartedly encourage anybody who is an employer within the creative industries to support the next wave of video, animation and design talent in London.
thank you
Everybody at SQZD.
