Watches of Switzerland Group announce accreditation as a Real Living Wage Employer
The Watches of Switzerland Group is delighted to announce that it has been accredited as a Real Living Wage Employer.
The Real Living Wage commitment will see everyone working at the company receive a minimum hourly wage of £11.95 in London and £10.90 in the rest of the UK.
Both rates are significantly higher than the government national living wage for over 23s, which currently stands at £10.42 per hour.
Brian Duffy, CEO of the Watches of Switzerland Group said: “Our colleagues are at the heart of our business and are critical to our success. Our teams are passionate and dedicated about the clients they serve and the relationships they have supporting each other internally to give the best client experience. We wanted to implement the real living wage to recognise the value of our colleagues across the business and demonstrate our core value of always doing the right thing”.
The Real Living Wage is the only rate calculated according to the costs of living. It provides a voluntary benchmark for employers that wish to ensure their staff earn a wage they can live on, not just the government minimum. Since 2011 the Real Living Wage movement has delivered a pay rise to over 450,000 people and put over £2 billion extra into the pockets of lower paid workers.
In addition to the Real Living Wage pay rate, the Watches of Switzerland Group is committed to providing a variety of benefits which are tailored to support the physical, mental and financial wellbeing of its colleagues at every stage of their lives.
Philippa Jackson, HR Director for the Watches of Switzerland Group commented: “We are proud to be a Real Living Wage Employer. These pay rates, combined with our comprehensive benefits package and our recent investment into our Support Centre at Carlton Park in Leicester, and the upcoming move in Fort Lauderdale of our US HQ, will ensure people “join, grow and stay” with our Group. It’s in our DNA as a business to support and care for those on the most junior salaries and this is a great example of our commitment to that purpose.”
Katherine Chapman, Director, Living Wage Foundation said: “We’re delighted that the Watches of Switzerland Group has joined the movement of over 12,000 responsible employers across the UK who voluntarily commit to go further than the government minimum to make sure all their staff earn enough to live on.
“They join thousands of small businesses, as well as household names such as Burberry, Barclays, Everton Football Club and many more. These businesses recognise that paying the Real Living Wage is the mark of a responsible employer and they, like the Watches of Switzerland Group, believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay.”
