Security guard firm Delta Security Management has become the latest organisation to be recognised as a living wage employer.
Accredited by the Living Wage Foundation, the company based in Crawley, West Sussex, will now pay its 10 full-time and four part-time staff at least £9.30 per hour. This is the outside-London Living Wage set by the Living Wage Commission.
David Graffham, founder of Delta Security Management, explained the pay boost is part of the firm’s journey to be more accountable to clients and staff.
He said: “For far too long, the security guard industry has led a race to the bottom, and has developed a poor reputation for only paying staff the minimum wage.”
He added: “We felt it was our role to help change this – to be more accountable to staff, but also so we could have better conversations with clients, who can see we’re serious about giving staff a decent standard of living.”
The business is currently growing, and Graffham expects the move will help the business attract and retain good people.
He said: “The difference this will make to our overall wage bill won’t be that much because we were already hovering around this salary level anyway. But gaining accreditation now means we are kite-marked in black and white for all to see.”
Data from the Living Wage Foundation has found 15% of work in the West Sussex region are in jobs that pay less than the real Living Wage.
Katherine Chapman, director at Living Wage Foundation, said: “Delta Security Management now joins more than 6,000 other responsible employers that are voluntarily committing to go further than the government minimum to make sure all their staff now earn enough to live on.”