Why Affinity chose to become a Living Wage Employer

Every year, Living Wage Week shines a spotlight on the importance of fair pay and the positive impact it has on employees, businesses and communities. At Affinity, this week gives us time to reflect on why paying a Living Wage isn’t just policy, it’s a core part of who we are. 

 

Being a Living Wage Employer is more than just numbers on a payslip, it’s about valuing every single member of our team and ensuring they can thrive both inside and outside of work. 

 

 

Becoming a Living Wage Employer wasn’t about changing our behaviour, it was about recognising what we were already doing. We already pay above the National Living Wage; it’s how we’ve always believed a responsible digital agency should operate, by setting people’s pay based on what they’re worth, not just what we have to pay them

 

For Affinity, getting the badge wasn’t actually about making a promise or shifting our practices: we were already there as an organisation and had been for a number of years. Of course, having the accreditation is a great shorthand way of demonstrating our values to prospective clients and employees. It helps us recruit the best and most talented people to join our team and it helps attract clients who we can build meaningful, lasting relationships with - those that share our values.

 

But for us, having the accreditation is as much about encouraging others to do the same. It’s about saying to other organisations: your people are giving you their time, their energy, their knowledge, and their expertise in order to make your business great. You need to pay them fairly for it, because your business wouldn’t be what it is without them. 

 

Here in Cornwall, where well-paid, secure, year-round jobs can be harder to come by, it feels especially important to set a good example. The more great businesses who demonstrate this, through accreditations like the Living Wage, the more we’ll bring others along beside us, to do the same. 

 

 

Gaining the Living Wage accreditation was a no-brainer for us. 

 

We’ve always recognised that our people are what makes Affinity great. To deliver exceptional digital services and be known as an innovative, high-quality provider, we need talented people doing the work, people who we can trust to uphold our company values. 

 

To make that possible, we also have to look after our team: ensuring they’re happy, want to stay, and have the freedom and support they need to do their best work. This kind of mutual benefit only comes if you respect your people, give them a sense of security, and show them how much you value their contribution. 

 

Of course, it’s not just about pay, but offering anything less than the Living Wage as a minimum would go against everything we stand for. The accreditation simply formalises what we already believe: that fair pay is essential to a happy, motivated, and committed team. 

 

 

Accreditation matters because it does three important things:

 

- It formalises our values. Accreditation puts our commitment to fair pay on record. It’s fully transparent and verifiable.

 

- It amplifies the movement. Being part of the Living Wage community helps push the sector toward better norms. We want to use our position to encourage change, not just enjoy its benefits.

 

- It holds us accountable. Official recognition helps ensure we continue to meet the standard and reminds us to keep improving other parts of the employee experience.

 

 

The Living Wage is a collective effort. When employers like us formalise and publicise their commitment, it helps normalise fair pay and encourages other organisations to follow. We understand that not every business can immediately match our pay levels, but accreditation provides a practical roadmap: set a standard, measure against it, and improve where possible. We see accreditation as part of our responsibility to the local economy and we want to use our position to champion fairness across the digital industry.

 

As we raise a toast to Living Wage Week here at Affinity, we’re proud to stand alongside those other organisations that believe work should always provide security and respect.

When people are valued, businesses thrive. We’ll continue to do the right thing for our people, our clients, and our community.