Parkfoot has been a Living Wage Employer since 2013, although we had been operating the Living Wage policy before that, having been made aware of it by one of our Directors in 2010, and our ethos since the business began in 1947 has been to take care of our employees and share our success. Some members of staff have been with us for over 30 years. We think we were the first petrol station in the UK to pay the Living Wage to all our 37 employees.
In a traditionally low-pay industry with high staff turnover, Parkfoot have built a committed team of workers who can show initiative in the many difficult situations that face a 24 hour, 365 day a year operation. The 15 staff who were with us before a recent expansion have an average length of service of 14 years and are all still with us. Parkfoot’s lowest paid staff receive £8 per hour, a current Government target for 2020.
The Living Wage plaque is prominently displayed at the entrance to the store, and Parkfoot publicity leaflets proudly carry the Living Wage Logo.
Managing Director David Charman has a high profile in the forecourt and convenience retailing world, is a monthly columnist for the Forecourt Trader magazine, attends many meetings with fellow retailers and often speaks at industry events and award ceremonies, where Parkfoot is a frequent winner. He is also often asked to comment on issues on the radio, including a BBC debate on low wages. He never misses the opportunity these occasions provide to promote the Living Wage and to raise awareness of its benefits both to business and staff.
Fellow director Martin Whitlock, has written for the national press about the experience of being a Living Wage employer, most recently on The Guardian website. Here he drew attention to the benefits of the living wage not only for businesses and their employees but also for shareholders in providing a reference for understanding how much of the business’s proceeds belongs to its legal owners and how much to the workforce. This article attracted 479 direct shares on social media and 204 reader comments.
Parkfoot was on Meridian television in April 2016, as a company that had successfully been paying staff higher than the Living Wage for many years. “Investing in our staff and sharing our success with them has created a loyal team,” said David, “ and this team won an nationwide award for customer service, so it benefits our customers, too. The award we’re most proud of is Best Customer Service in the UK. Our staff mean a lot to us: some have been here for thirty years and two generations of the same family often work side by side. The most frequent comment I receive from customers is how much they appreciate our friendly staff.”
Annie Oakley, Company Secretary and General Manager said:
“The Living Wage is now part of the identity of Parkfoot Garage. Everyone in the area knows we pay a decent wage. We haven’t had to advertise beyond our own noticeboards for several years. For a local business, this is a real strength and is becoming one of our defining features as well raising awareness of the Living Wage. Lots of customers have commented on it.
The Living Wage is a permanent item on our monthly management meeting agendas and we look at ways of evolving a successful business that shares the fruits of that success with the whole team. There is a fear amongst our colleagues that paying the Living Wage will reduce profits, but the realisation is beginning to dawn that it is not because we are successful that we can pay the Living Wage, but that our success is built on paying the Living Wage.”
Mary, who works full-time at Parkfoot in the shop commented:
“I have worked at Parkfoot for the past 10 years and when they took the decision to increase everyone’s wages to the Living Wage it made a huge difference to me. As a single parent, walking three miles to work and back every day, the extra money I now earn gives me the chance to take us both on a proper holiday, something I could never do before.”