With the cost-of-living crisis showing no current signs of improvement, it felt important to address the current situation and talk about how businesses like us can help their employees during this hard time.
The rising inflation over the past year has been affecting all of us, regardless of employment status or position in a business. There are several ways that employers can choose to help their employees and aid the current crisis, which we have talked about further in this article.
We have also mentioned the real living wage, which is a brilliant movement aiming to minimise unfair wages. You can learn all about this below.
What can my business do to help the cost-of-living crisis?
There are several ways that employers can help their staff during this crisis, beyond just meeting the legal requirements expected of them. For example, providing the option for flexible working from home where possible can greatly reduce pressure on low-income families who may be struggling with fuel or travel costs. Consider having work-from-home options in place for staff where they aren’t required on the property.
Signposting support and advice options are a free and easy way to assist your team members but could make such a difference to lower-income households. The Government website currently has several Help For Households schemes running, for people affected across the UK, varying from energy-saving tips to discount possibilities for bills. Broadcasting these schemes to your employees may have a much wider positive effect than you notice, so are worth mentioning.
Equally, it is just as important to support your suppliers and other businesses in your chain, by providing prompt payment and being aware of our choices in resources or goods, in terms of energy requirement and efficiency. While they may not be a direct employee, these relations are integral in business operations and so should be helped where you can.
Can the real living wage reduce the impact of the cost-of-living crisis?
One of our proudest achievements as of late is that we are now members of the Living Wage Foundation, paying our employees the real living wage. If you’re unfamiliar with this term, the real living wage is a voluntary rate that employers pay to make wages reflect the actual needs of families today. By paying a fair wage above the minimum, so many members of your team will be alleviated from daily stresses and in turn have more energy to put into their work.
While we understand that not all employers are able to be flexible with the wage of staff, we would highly recommend any business that is able, to join us in this movement.
You can read more about our contributions to this in our previous blog: What is the Real Living Wage?
Despite the rising costs, it is a business’ duty to provide safe working conditions for all its staff members. This duty of care extends to staff access points and car parks, which need to be maintained regularly. With the current threat of a second “Beast from the East” weather event heading towards the UK, it is vital to ensure your business is prepared for the potential of heavy snowfall and ice in the following days.
At AA Salt, we are able to provide gritting services overnight to ensure minimal disturbances of your daily operations, regardless of the weather. We offer a range of services to suit every budget, from pay-as-you-go to annual monthly contracts. With accurate site mapping technology, we can tailor our services to be specific to your business needs. Get in touch today to discuss how we can help you.
Read more of our blogs focusing on our work with the community and employers guides.
