PRESS RELEASE
18 November 2021
The Vella Group is proud to announce that it is now an accredited Living Wage employer, through the Living Wage Foundation.
The past 18-months has been a very difficult time for the repair industry and the people who work in it. Conditions have been tough – reduced traffic volumes led to reduced work volumes, and the knock-on effect has put businesses and livelihoods at risk.
Becoming a Real Living Wage employer was the next logical step in the Vella Group’s commitment to investing in its employees. With inflationary pressures a reality for everyone, the Group felt that paying the Real Living Wage was an important step in helping ensure that all employees can afford the basics in life, and have enough left over to live on.
The Real Living Wage is calculated on the basic cost of living and exceeds the UK Government’s National Living Wage, and it rises annually, adding extra security that it will be reviewed in line with impacts of the economy and the cost of living.
As a business, The Vella Group made a commitment at the onset of the pandemic to support its employees. The company refrained from making any cost related job cuts and, instead, looked to expand on the work already started to build an industry-leading benefits package for its employees.
Over the pandemic period, the business implemented a raft of measures designed to improve work-life balance, such as raising holiday allowance, expanding flexible working support, improving paid leave policies. These included maternity, paternity, and sickness, and ensured that a robust level of support is available for all employees that require it, both internally through its HR team and externally through industry support such as via the charity, BEN.
Helen Driscoll, Head of HR at The Vella Group, commented,
The Leadership Team has always had a real belief in wanting to be an ethical business, and one in which everyone has the opportunity to develop and earn a decent living. We also have a genuine conviction in caring for and supporting the wellbeing of our team members. This is a commitment we all share and one in which we shall be building upon continually as we grow as a company.
Joining the Living Wage Foundation is part of our continued journey to offer an unrivalled support and benefits package for our employees.
This week (15th to 21st November) sees the annual Living Wage Week celebrations, with 2021 also marking the 20th anniversary of the Living Wage Foundation. Since the movement began in 2001, the campaign for a Real Living Wage has delivered more than £1.5 billion in extra wages to workers, and has lifted more than 260,000 people out of in-work poverty.
