• Sadiq urges employers to make London the best city in the world in which to work
• EY, Richer Sounds, Unison and the London City Airport among those accredited
• Scheme sets high bar for employment standards and supports good employers
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has launched his Good Work Standard – a benchmark for high employment standards, with fair pay at its heart – and has urged employers of all sizes and sectors to join him in his mission to make London the best city in the world in which to work.
A range of public, private and third-sector employers have already signed up to the scheme. These include major financial firms EY, KPMG and Schroders, electronics retailer Richer Sounds, family-run care provider SilverBirch Healthcare, London City Airport, Unison, several London boroughs and the functional bodies in the Greater London Authority family (including the Metropolitan Police Service, Transport for London and London Fire Brigade).
The Good Work Standard has a set of criteria covering fair pay and conditions, wellbeing, skills and progression, and diversity and recruitment. It has been developed in collaboration with London’s employers, trade unions and professional bodies and sets the benchmark the Mayor wants every London employer to achieve, including paying all staff at least the London Living Wage, currently £10.55 an hour.
While setting a high bar for accredited employers, it also brings together best practice and support from across London to help employers improve their organisations. It has the support of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), which is developing a toolkit for organisations who wish to take part.
Achieving the Good Work Standard will bring a range of benefits. In addition to public recognition by the Mayor, the high standards set out will help organisations to attract and retain talent, reduce absenteeism, and achieve higher levels of employee engagement, motivation, and productivity.
To sit alongside the Good Work Standard, the Mayor will soon launch the Employment Rights Hub, which will help Londoners understand their rights at work and what action is available to them when those rights are infringed upon.
The Mayor has also launched the Healthy Workplace Award, an initiative which provides a benchmark for encouraging healthier lifestyles and is aligned with the Good Work Standard.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Tackling poverty and inequality is one of the reasons I got into politics. London and the whole country are still simply too unequal – and it is bad for our both our economy and our society. I want to make London a fairer city by ensuring that all Londoners get the opportunities that our city gave to me when I was growing up.
“The Good Work Standard will play a key role in tackling poverty and inequality in London. I’m calling on employers across our city to play their part – to pay the London Living Wage, to pursue greater diversity at senior levels, to achieve the highest standards in wellbeing and training, and to ensure that their workers have a voice in the workplace.
“Employers will make these changes because they want to do the right thing, but also because they will see great benefit in terms of recruitment and productivity. City Hall will now do everything possible to ensure that many more employers – in every sector and of every size – sign up to the Good Work Standard.”
Chief Executive Officer, Richer Sounds, Julie Abraham, said: “Richer Sounds are delighted and very proud to be the first retailer to be accredited by the Mayor’s Good Work Standard for London. While it is great to be recognised for the effort we put in into the working life of our colleagues, I really hope it will inspire other employers to do the same.”
EY’s Managing Partner for Talent in UK and Ireland, Justine Campbell, said: “Here at EY, we are working hard to create an environment where our people feel safe, they can bring their true selves to work, and are treated and rewarded fairly too. We are delighted that EY has been recognised by the Mayor’s Good Work Standard.”
Emma Holden, Global Head of HR, Schroders said: “We believe that the Mayor’s Good Work Standard Employer recognition is a best in class initiative for businesses in the City of London and we are delighted to have been given this acknowledgement.
“Deep and lasting relationships are at the heart of our success as a business, and our employee relationships are no different, that’s why encouraging the growth and wellbeing of everyone who works at Schroders is in our DNA. We look forward to working with the Mayor of London on future wellbeing initiatives.”
Managing Director of social enterprise Fair Finance, Faisel Rahman, said: “Fair Finance is really pleased to receive the Mayor’s Good Work Accreditation and be recognised as a leader in championing economic fairness for its workforce. We think all employers must provide a safe and fair workplace and also think about the financial and personal well-being of all of their staff.
“We believe this gets the best out of our employees, is a great advert for our company and because it is the right thing to do.”
Chief Executive of the CIPD, Peter Cheese, said: “We’re delighted to have worked with the Mayor and his team in developing the Good Work Standard. Work can and should be a force for good, and the Standard helps define the critical attributes of what makes good work and jobs. Employers should always be looking at ways in which they can improve job quality and how they support their people as part of their duty of care to the workforce, but it also makes good business sense.
“Now more than ever we need to make our organisations great places to work, to engage our people, help develop their skills, support their wellbeing and build the inclusive workplaces that are good for everyone. These are the drivers of sustainable and responsible businesses, as well as a stronger economy and society for the future. We look forward to continuing to further this agenda and doing our part in supporting organisations in improving the quality of jobs in the capital.”
Kim Coles, Global Financial Director at Lush said: “We are delighted to be recognised by this great movement which is setting a benchmark for all of us to aspire to. It is great to have a set of standards to mark ourselves against to ensure we are rewarding and developing our staff to the best of our and their abilities.”
Director of the Living Wage Foundation, Katherine Chapman, said:“It’s great to see Living Wage accreditation is a core part of the Mayor of London’s Good Work Standard. Paying the real Living Wage is the best way to show staff you’re a responsible employer and means employers are committed to paying all staff, including third party contractors, a wage that covers the true cost of living.
“More than 1,600 London based employers are accredited with the Living Wage Foundation, recognising the value it provides workers and their families.”
Unison Regional Secretary, Maggi Ferncombe, said: “We are very proud to have collaborated with the Mayor in developing the Good Work Standard. We know that good employers have happier, healthier and more productive staff – who feel valued, are paid fairly and are less likely to leave; so all employers in London should want to be accredited.
“For working Londoners, this standard shows that their employer truly cares about their staff and that they can have confidence in what they can expect from their employer.”