Blog interview with Jon Trigg from Freedom Works
1. Tell me about your business
Freedom Works is a coworking and flexible office operator with an emphasis on ‘Community.’ The idea was born out of the lack of collaborative and flexible workspaces here in Sussex. We’re about being more than a roof over your head from a working perspective – we provide a shared space, where freelancers, micro businesses and SME’s can rub shoulders with and support and collaborate with eachother.
2. Why have you joined the Living Wage campaign?
I think it’s important that the talent that drives any business forward is recognised, and basic recognition is fair pay. As we all know, the minimum wage does not always equate to fair pay- and nowhere more so than in a city like Brighton & Hove, due to its higher cost of living. So, paying the real Living Wage in the city, enables employers to pay what is fair. We’ve joined, simply because we felt it was the right thing to do – and whilst it’s not our place to tell other businesses how they should run themselves, we believe in setting an example.
3. What do you think the benefits are for your employees?
Simple – it enables them to understand that they are valued. Our team are the lifeblood of Freedom Works and whilst we can recognise self-fulfilment, career development and esteem, the basic hierarchy of recognition needs to be in their pay.
4. How will those benefits reflect back on your company?
I hope it displays the ethos which runs through our business. We are community-focused and supporting the Living Wage campaign is just one of our commitments in ensuring we are a community-focused business. Very simply I believe signing up to be part of the campaign makes a statement about what type of business we are, which will make existing and future team members understand the culture they belong to.
5. Has the COVID pandemic influenced your decision to join the Living Wage campaign?
I guess it has. If the last 12 months have shown us one thing, it is that community is key. We need to support each other, whether you are an employer, customer, supplier, or even the businesses owner whose life and soul goes into making their businesses work. The positive, I hope, that will come out of the pandemic will be that recognition of each other and ongoing support moving forward.
If your business hasn’t yet signed up to the Living Wage campaign, we’d love to have you on board.
And if you want to contribute to the Brighton & Hove Living Wage campaign blog, contact us on [email protected].
We believe in creating positive impact for people and planet, and paying our staff a fair wage is one step we have taken to show our commitment.
Brighton Language College supports the local community and encourages diversity and equality. Signing up to the Living Wage Campaign further strengthens our position as a pro-active and compassionate business helping our employees to work with an assurance of fairness.
We are committed to helping to make Brighton the best version of itself that it can be. That includes a fulfilled and healthy workforce who are fairly paid, thereby supporting individuals to contribute to an even stronger society.
We feel our staff are arguably the most vital part of our company, their actions and commitment determine whether we, as a company, fail or succeed.
We support the living wage campaign as it is an important way of ensuring a stronger and fairer city for everyone.
