20 March 2015
Support services organisation OCS Group has become the latest FM service provider to gain recognition as a Living Wage service provider by the Living Wage Foundation.
The organisation, which employs more than 91,000 people worldwide and 26,000 across the UK, will pay the Living Wage to all staff directly employed at its UK headquarters.
It also plans to offer a Living Wage bid in proposals to all new prospective and current clients alongside its market rate bid.
"Well-trained and well-motivated people are critical to our business and our ability to deliver top-quality services, " said Chris Cracknell, chief executive officer at OCS Group.
"All the evidence from studies carried out in organisations that have implemented the Living Wage is that the Living Wage improves employee loyalty. This, in turn, translates into high levels of retention, lower absenteeism and better quality of service to our clients," he added.
Rhys Moore, director of the Living Wage Foundation, said: "The scale of OCS Group's influence in the market, coupled with the scale of the company's commitment to offering a Living Wage bid to all prospective clients, will help to set a new standard for recruiting and retaining quality people in facilities management.
"The benefits the Living Wage brings to staff and business are clear. FM is an important sector in the UK in terms of the value it adds and the number of people it employs. We welcome this leadership shown by OCS Group to the Living Wage."
OCS's recognition follows in the footsteps of other FM organisations, such as ISS Facility Services, Julius Rutherfoord and Principle Cleaning Services.
The Living Wage is calculated annually by the Centre for Research in Social Policy at Loughborough University. The London rate is set by the Greater London Authority.
The current rates are £7.85 an hour in the UK and £9.15 an hour in London.
More information is available here.