Stepping up in hard times

Many expected that we would be busy ‘building back better’ at this time, but instead we find ourselves in a punishing cost-of-living crisis.

The forces driving this crisis may be outside of our control, but as we heard at last month’s IWFM Conference, we each have the agency to create the change we want to see. As so many of the sessions demonstrated, this powerful influence is magnified in combination with upskilling and drawing on others’ talents through collaboration.

At the conference, we also heard about the importance of social value as an essential tool to boost local communities and improve lives.

We discussed the incredible opportunities for our profession to demonstrate our strategic role, especially in the sustainability agenda and driving outcomes that will protect our planet and the life that depends on it.

We also heard EMCOR UK’s Jeremy Campbell challenge everyone to pay the real Living Wage. As an accredited Living Wage Employer and a member of the Living Wage Foundation’s Recognised Service Providers Leadership Group, we advocate that as a minimum, employers should compensate their people fairly by ensuring they pay the real Living Wage. We have guidance on our website to help employers make that happen.

None of us is immune to this crisis – that much is evident each time we fill up our cars or look at our smart meters. But we mustn’t lose sight of those who are worst affected – the same people who suffer most in all crises: the deprived and those under or perilously near the poverty line.

Linda Hausmanis is CEO of the IWFM 

To read the full July/August 2022 edition, click here.