M·E·L Research to immediately increase Real Living Wage support

M·E·L Research is proud to be a Real Living Wage employer. Therefore, we welcome the increase in the Real Living Wage rates that have been announced this morning. These increases will see the living wage rise by 10.1% to £10.90 across the UK, and £11.95 in London.

Conventionally we would introduce the new rates in April. However, we are acutely aware that the cost of living crisis is something that is happening now and that for many, action cannot wait until next year. Therefore we will be implementing this rise immediately from the 1^st October 2022. Our commitment to the Real Living Wage includes all members of staff regardless of age or role. Karen Etheridge, Managing Director, explained the rationale for the immediate increase:

“At M·E·L we grasp the nettle of social value and expect our team to live and breathe our values on a daily basis. This mindset has to start from the way we work with, develop and most importantly at the moment, pay, our team. We are proud to be a Living Wage Foundation accredited employer and to be implementing this rise from the start of October.”

One of our values is putting people first. This is reflected in our research projects that help to give a voice to audiences that are seen by many as too hard to engage, or too easy to ignore. But we never lose sight of that fact that it is our team who enable us to do this. 

Therefore, we believe that paying them fairly even when market conditions are challenging is the right thing to do. We hope that all of our clients, suppliers and partners will support us in this moving forward.