Ultima become an accredited Living Wage Employer

We are delighted to announce that Ultima is now an accredited Living Wage Employer! This means that every member of staff working for us will earn a real Living Wage.

The real Living Wage is higher than the government’s minimum, or National Living Wage, and is an independently calculated hourly rate of pay that is based on the actual cost of living. It is calculated each year and is announced by the Living Wage Foundation as part of Living Wage Week. It is currently £9.50 in the UK, with a higher rate of £10.85 for London, reflecting the higher costs of living in the capital. 

Over 7000 organisations, including Ultima, voluntarily choose to pay the real Living Wage because we believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay. At Ultima we recognise that our employees are at the heart of everything we do, so we are constantly looking for new ways to ensure they are supported. Not only does paying the real Living Page recognise hard work with a deserved reward, but it also benefits employee well-being as money troubles can cause high levels of stress.

Our employees’ wellbeing is our priority, and we have many initiatives to support this including training mental health champions who will be the first line of contact for employees in need across Ultima. We want to ensure they have the someone to talk to and someone to listen to them, their needs, and any problems they may be facing. In addition, Ultima gave all staff an employee wellness day on 1st April to take a break, spend time on themselves and switch off from work life over the long weekend. This allowed them to be ready to start the new financial year feeling fresh and ready to take on the world. We also held a Wellbeing Week earlier this year and were delighted to have Rener Wellbeing running a series of workshops for our employees to give them with advice and guidance on how they could make small changes to their day to day lives to benefit their overall wellbeing. These sessions focused around two key stress points highlighted by our employees which are sleep and nutrition. Find some wellbeing tips for a happier and more productive life in our blog. 

This commitment applies to not only directly employed staff but also to our third party contracted staff. Ultima have ensured that we pay all our third party contracted staff, such as our cleaners, are paid the real Living Wage. 

You can find out more about the Living Wage by visiting www.livingwage.org.uk.