Caption: Packing compost in the sheds.
Caption: Celebrating our Soil Association Accreditation.
This month, we have been pleased to receive our accreditation as a Living Wage Employer. In a part of the country dominated by seasonal work and the zero hours contracts of the tourism industry, it’s great that some companies are bucking this trend. So, what’s it all about? Well, the basic premise is that the minimum wage can easily fall short of the level of income required to enable a person to feed themselves and afford adequate housing and heat. The living wage is calculated to meet these basic levels of need by raising pay to meet the required income band. This in turn enables workers to thrive in their work rather than fall behind in terms of basic living standards and possible debt.
Therefore, Dalefoot Compost employees, regardless of job position are ALL paid at the living wage or above. Even our new employees who may need a lot of training are paid at the living wage rate. Dalefoot Composts doesn’t just stop there. We understand the importance of long-term stable employment for our community and we therefore go above and beyond by offering both full-time and part-time roles on a PAYE Contract. Being able to employ a workforce on a PAYE means that employees can access regular income that stabilizes their economic situation. Employees are able to focus on their work rather than live with the anxiety about income next week or next month. With less worry, comes less stress related illness. Being a Living Wage Employer can actually reduce the number of sick days employees take each year.
Advertising as a Living Wage Employer attracts the best in the work force to apply to us when we have vacancies. Rather than recruiting from people who haven’t been able to get a job elsewhere, we are able to choose new team members from the very best locally. This in turn benefits our business as we can recruit skilled and ambitious individuals who can grow with the company.
A further benefit for Dalefoot Composts as the employer is via reputation. As a business with a national profile, we are able to tell our customers that we are pioneers of good employment practice in our area. We not only have a transparent supply chain; we have a transparent employment chain which means we contribute to a vibrant and thriving community with a long-term future in the rural economy.