A Social Mobility Foundation report has found that low pay traps people in low paid jobs with very little chance of escape. Over a 10 year period, a quarter of low paid workers remained permanently in low paid work and only one in six managed to escape to higher wage bands. Alan Milburn, who heads the Commission, has warned the government that radical and urgent reform is needed to prevent widening inequality between rich and poor.
One positive answer to solving this dilemma is the “Living Wage” movement. Jackson Lees Group became an accredited “Living Wage Employer” in 2015, joining 3500 other businesses in the UK who believe their staff deserve a fair day's pay for a hard day's work. The living wage is a theoretical wage level that allows the earner to afford adequate shelter, food and the other necessities of life. Its goal is to allow employees to earn enough income for a satisfactory standard of living.
The leadership of my practice felt that we needed to show the way to other law firms who have been slow in taking up this initiative – firms need to “walk the walk”, not just “talk the talk”. The result has been an increase in pay, particularly for those entering the firm at the junior end but frankly this was a small price to pay for the sake of showing that we believe in wage justice in the employment market.
However, the living wage is just part of the answer. If those starting at the junior end of the firm do not progress in their roles and remain on lower wages for a long period, we have failed. We believe in developing and training our workforce so that junior staff members can receive encouragement to progress within the practice to attain senior and important roles in the business in the fullness of time. Many of our staff came to us as their first employer and remain with us still today many years on. They are some of our best and most loyal staff members and worth everything we pay them.
We have developed clear career progression paths for our employees and are now establishing a “Training Academy” to identify training needs and ensure that training is delivered effectively. We still have a long way to go but we are working to achieve a skilled and empowered work force fit for a modern day legal practice. The living wage is one part of that strategy.
Undertaking legal work is part of the service sector which stands or falls on the standard of service provided. That service is delivered by our 270+ staff members and everyone has a part of play in looking after the customer. 98% of our clients are extremely happy with our services and would recommend us to a friend. That is the ultimate testimony to what we are trying to achieve.
When we need a lawyer it can be stressful and is often a distress purchase that we would rather not make. We understand this, so it is even more important to make sure that we look after our clients. Fundamental to this are contented and motivated staff who share our vision for justice and fairness in society. Justice needs to start at home and we have never regretted for one instant our decision to become a Living Wage Employer.