Care provider HC-One has invested £17 million in a new pay and reward scheme for staff to ensure they can earn above the real living wage.
The business, which employs around 21,000 members of staff across the UK, will give all care employees with two years of experience above the real living wage rate of £9.90 an hour, from early 2022. Final rates will be set in consultation with trade union the GMB.
New members of staff without previous experience will receive a pay increase after they have worked for the care provider for six months. Workers in the capital will receive above the London living wage of £11.05 an hour once they have six months' experience.
According to HC-One, the standardised and transparent pay scales will allow staff to plot out development of their careers and take into account different regional costs of living.
The new scheme follows the organisation’s 3%-plus pay rise for all workers in April 2021, and the introduction of £9-per-hour minimum pay for care staff regardless of age. Scottish carers will continue to be paid at least £10.02 per hour.
James Tugendhat, chief executive officer of HC-One, said the initiative was designed to attract and retain the best people to provide high quality, kind care to residents.
“It is important to us that HC-One is an environment where colleagues are supported to grow and make the most of the award-winning learning and development opportunities we offer at all levels of the organisation," he said.
"Our enhanced pay and reward strategy recognises that value and is the significant next step on our ongoing journey to ensure that the social care workforce is well rewarded, respected and professionalised."
The real living wage is set by the Real Living Wage Foundation, an initiative led by Citizens UK and supported by bodies including Comic Relief and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. It is set above the legal minimum wage and paid voluntarily by almost 9,000 UK businesses.
