Creating a Valued Workplace
Join us to learn how living wages, financial value and job security create a decent workplace and bring value to your business.
Resources
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“A living wage is not the same as the minimum wage, which is the legislated minimum all employers must pay and is set by the provincial government. The living wage reflects what people need to earn to cover the actual costs of living in their community. The living wage draws on community-specific data to determine the expenses to a family with two working adults and two children. Living wage employers voluntarily decide to pay a living wage and maintain their certification as new rates are calculated for their area.”
Source: Ontario Living Wage Network
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Living wages and decent work benefit both employees and employers, especially when it comes to retaining younger workers. Conversely, not paying a living wage can have detrimental effects on your business.
Source: Inclusive Employers
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What are the ways you and your business are providing decent work to your employees? You can use this checklist to see both the financial and organizational practices common to a decent workplace. Identify your strengths and areas of improvement.
Source: Ontario Non-Profit Network
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Explore the Living Wage Map by Region to determine your region's Living Wage. Local living wage rates are calculated and peer-reviewed on an annual basis where possible by the OLWN. Some calculations are completed by a local organizing group, while others are conducted entirely by OLWN staff.
Source: Ontario Living Wage Network
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The public and private sector employers and municipalities across Ontario have been working towards adopting living wage policies within the workplace. Adopting living wage policies consists of living wage definition, calculation and strategy. Reference the National Living Framework to learn how you can contribute to the living wage movement and bring value to your employees and your community.
Source: Canadian Living Wage Framework
Expert Conversations
Hear from social educator Anne Coleman, Program Manager of the Ontario Living Wage Network, and social entrepreneur Aleksandra Szaflarska, Resident Co-op Expert of TWB Co-operative Brewing, as they share their experiences, expertise, tools, and resources to create a valued workplace.
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Alex is a founding member and director of: worker-owned local craft brewery Together We’re Bitter Co-operative Brewery; Ontario’s first community real estate co-operative, Union; and local environmental non-profit Hold the Line. Alex has over ten years of experience working in the nongovernmental sector in Canada and Poland, focusing on community engagement and project implementation, as well as eight years of experience in the banking sector and four years as an independent consultant.
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Anne Coleman first became involved in the living wage conversation in 2014 when she began working with Living Wage Waterloo Region. When the Ontario Living Wage Network (OLWN) launched its provincial employer certification program, Anne was pleased to expand the work she’d been doing to support employers right across Ontario. In her role as Program Manager, she works with local communities to update living wage calculations and support employers through the living wage certification process. Anne believes in reducing poverty through paid work and is dedicated to raising wages in Ontario.