A DETERMINATION to keep up high standards has seen Wise Property Care commit to paying the Living Wage.
The company is approved by all the relevant trade bodies in the property preservation industry including Trust Mark, the Property Care Association and Which?
It’s also in the unique position of being the only property preservation company in the UK to be regulated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), and it was with the aim of keeping up to these high standards that made Wise Property Care commit to the Living Wage in 2015.
“Independent studies have found that more than 80 per cent of employers who pay the living wage or above have noticed an increase in the quality of the work of their staff,” pointed out the company’s founder Les Meikle.
“This is vitally important to me because Wise Property Care have built our reputation on exceeding our client’s expectations. With a happy and motivated work force that is willing to go the extra mile, we should always be able to achieve our ambitions.
He added: “Seventy-five per cent of employers also reported a significant impact on recruitment and retention within their organisation, along with a greater retention rate among contractors. Again, I find this to be significant. When we attract the best employees and contractors in the business we want to keep them in the Wise family.”
Wise Property Care treat conditions such as damp, dry rot, wet rot and woodworm in properties all across the country. They also have two sister companies, Wise Knotweed Solutions and Wise Basement Systems, who offer solutions for invasive weeds and structural waterproofing problems respectively.
“It’s important to Wise Property Care that our employees feel rewarded for their hard work, and ultimately the best way for a company to reflect the gratitude they have for their employees is with the wages they pay,” said Meikle.
“With that in mind, it was incredibly important to Wise Property Care to be officially recognised by the Scottish Living Wage Foundation as a Living Wage Employer.”
Achieving full Living Wage Employer status is something that Wise Property Care have been quite happy to shout about. The Living Wage Association plaque is displayed in the head office, and Wise Property Care are also listed among the accredited companies on the association’s website Scottishlivingwage.org.
Another bonus for the company is that Wise Property Care can now advertise themselves as Living Wage Employers on employment recruitment websites, indicating the kind of company they are to future recruits.
“Perhaps most importantly though, Wise Property Care can now say to their customers and clients that they are an official Living Wage Employer,” said Meikle. “This reinforces their brand as a company that cares. If potential customers know that Wise Property Care treat their employees with care and respect, then they can expect the same levels of care and respect to be applied to their property when they hire Wise Property Care.”
Since it was launched in April 2014, more than 600 organisations in Scotland have signed up to the scheme to become accredited as official living wage employers, paying their workers at least £8.45 per hour.
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