Happy hours

“OUR PEOPLE HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW HOW MANY HOURS THEY’RE GOING TO WORK, AND WHEN THEY’RE GOING TO WORK THEM”

It was all the way back in 2016 that Borough Market first became an accredited Living Wage Employer. For the past eight years, we’ve been committed to paying every member of our team more than the hourly wage set each year by the Living Wage Foundation – a charitable organisation that helps employers set a level of pay that meets their people’s essential needs. Rates are updated each year to cover the cost not just of paying rent and buying food but of living a happy and fulfilling life, including simple pleasures as well as absolute necessities. 

Since then, dozens of the independent businesses that trade here (25 at the last count, and the number continues to grow) have joined us in gaining Living Wage accreditation of their own. Ultimately, our aspiration is that everyone working in the Market, not just our own staff, will be able to enjoy the sense of security provided by this hugely meaningful commitment.

For us, doing this has always seemed a complete no-brainer. Borough Market is run by a charitable trust whose stated purpose is to serve the community. The amazing people who staff the Market, keeping it clean, safe and secure, supportive of our traders and welcoming for the millions of visitors who pass through each year, are a fundamental part of that community. So, it’s incumbent upon us to make sure that their needs are being served along with everyone else’s. That means paying them properly, with absolutely no exceptions, and giving them the comfort of knowing that their pay will keep pace with the cost of living, at the very least.

But what we’ve come to understand is that paying a fair hourly rate is not nearly enough. We believe that our people also have a right to know how many hours they’re going to work, and when they’re going to work them. Only then can they feel truly secure in their jobs and have the certainty they need to organise their lives and make plans for the future. That’s why we decided this year to become an accredited Living Hours Employer, alongside our continuing commitment to the living wage. 

This accreditation ­–­ also overseen by the Living Wage Foundation – requires us to provide all staff with a guaranteed minimum of 16 hours a week (if they want it), a proper contract that accurately reflects the hours they’re expected to work, and at least four weeks’ notice of their shift patterns, with guaranteed payments made if shifts are cancelled at short notice.   

The main reason we’ve done this is that the ethics are, we believe, impossible to refute – but it’s not just the people who directly benefit from this policy who will see a positive result. The whole Borough Market community is set to prosper. An organisation can only be truly effective if all its employees feel happy, valued and free from the worst financial pressures. And if we want to attract the best possible candidates whenever vacancies arise, making a clear, tangible statement to the world that we care about and look after our staff does no harm at all. The Borough Market trust wins, the staff win, and the public who depend so much on their hard work and diligence – they win too.