Richardsons Leisure Limited has gained accreditation from the Living Wage Foundation after committing to pay staff a rate in line with the cost of living.
The tourism business, which employs around 200 people in Hemsby, Stalham, Wroxham and Lowestoft, made the decision to support the financial wellbeing of its workforce and in recognition of the fact that now is a time when “household finances are under pressure”.
The firm’s employees will now receive a minimum wage of £10.90 per hour, which is higher than the government’s minimum rate of £10.42 for those aged above 23.
According to Richardsons, it has delivered an “industry-leading pay award” of 18% since March 2022, in line with its “strategic commitment to continually invest in its teams”.
Chief executive Greg Munford said: “Achieving real living wage status is part of our strategy to help the financial wellbeing of our team and forms a wider package of additional benefits at a much-needed time when household finances are under pressure.”
The company also provides several employee benefits to reward “the significant contribution team members make to creating memories and exceeding guests’ expectations”.
Marie Wilkinson, head of people and organisational development, added: “We know that guests visiting our sites will be looked after with personal, second to none customer service, however we are also passionate about the wellbeing of our team too, offering BUPA health plans, discounts on holidays, days out and wellbeing treatments for them and their families, plus long-service and birthday awards, and additional leave entitlement to celebrate milestones such as first day at primary school, and moving home.”
The voluntary benchmark set by the foundation is independently calculated taking into account the prices of everyday essentials. Around 12,000 UK employers have so far gained accreditation, including Nestle, Ikea, Barclays and Nationwide.
