Sundial Group is delighted to announce that its Surrey based hotel and conference centre, Barnett Hill, has been accredited as a Living Wage employer - a historic first for the hospitality industry.
The group has committed to pay all its employees at its Guildford based venue at least the hourly wage of £7.85 (significantly higher than the national minimum wage of £6.50).
Sundial Group's team building company, Teamscapes and venue finding agency, SOS, have also received the accreditation. Furthermore, it has made a commitment to phased pay rises at its other two venues over the next two years, with the aim to bring all staff onto the Living Wage.
Research by KPMG last year found that 5.2 million people in the UK earn less than the Living Wage. Occupations with the highest proportion of sub-Living Wage earners were all found to be in the hospitality sector - affecting 90% of bar staff, 85% of waiting staff and 80% of kitchen and catering assistants.
Tim Chudley, Managing Director of Sundial Group, said:
We are proud to be leading the hospitality sector as Barnett Hill becomes the first hotel and conference centre to receive the Living Wage accreditation. The hotel sector has been slow to respond to the call for better pay and this step differentiates Sundial Group as an employer that truly values and rewards its lowest paid team members. We are also committed to the accreditation for our other venues, Highgate House and Woodside, within the next two years.
Rhys Moore, Director of the Living Wage Foundation, said:
We are delighted to welcome Barnett Hill to the Living Wage movement as an accredited employer. The best employers are voluntarily signing up to pay the Living Wage now. We have accredited over 1,000 leading employers, including Barnett Hill. These businesses recognise that clinging to the national minimum wage is not good for business. Customers expect better than that.