Fri, 3 Oct 2014 | By Nicola Sullivan



Independent brewery BrewDog has introduced the Living Wage as part of efforts to acknowledge the “phenomenal” output of staff.

The move to introduce the Living Wage has been done in conjunction with pay rises for all employees in hourly paid positions, meaning a 15% rise in some cases. It also will boost BrewDog’s employer brand in a highly competitive market.

Zarah Prior, people manager at BrewDog, told Recruiter: “The Living Wage was one of those things that when we brought it up it just made sense. We have incredibly talented and passionate people who work so hard for us, especially in our bar division. They are at the frontline of everything we do.”

Prior, who is from Australia, also noted that the hospitality profession isn’t as highly regarded in the UK as it is elsewhere in the world.

BrewDog’s policy will ensure all of its 314 UK-based employees will receive at least the Living Wage for their location. Prior also confirmed that between 200 and 250 employees would receive pay increases as a result of its changes to hourly rates of pay.

The firm has its brewing operation in Aberdeenshire, Scotland and currently operates 17 bars in the UK, including four in London. It also has bars in Tokyo, Sao Paulo, Florence, Stockholm and Gothenburg.

For Recruiter's report on this week's National Minimum Wage increase, a leading hospitality recruiter told us that more employers in the sector were introducing the Living Wage.



