In this episode, we talk about the cost of living and about the moral and business case for employers to embed living wage initiatives in their HR strategies.Bill Banham's guest today is Gail Irvine, Head of Business Development and Policy at the Living Wage FoundationGail joined the Living Wage Foundation in October 2022 and is responsible for driving forward new projects that maximize voluntary employer approaches to tackle in-work poverty and promote good work.Previously, Gail was Living Wage Scotland Manager at the Poverty Alliance, the franchise partner delivering Living Wage accreditation in Scotland. Gail spent five years as a Senior Policy and Development Officer at Carnegie UK, a UK charitable foundation, where she led the delivery of their ‘Fulfilling Work’ program, focusing on policy and employer interventions required to make work better.Questions for Gail include:Talk to us about the increase in the cost of living over the past couple of yearsTell us about the mission of the Living Wage FoundationIn 60 seconds, give an overview of the 'real living wage', plus other newer initiatives - Living Hours and Living Pensions.What percentage of UK employees exist below the real living wage?Don’t businesses need flexibility from their workforce? Don’t some people like working flexibly?What has been the impact of the Living Wage campaign – on workers, influencing government policy etc?Support the showFeature Your Brand on the HRchat PodcastThe HRchat show has had 100,000s of downloads and is frequently listed as one of the most popular global podcasts for HR pros, Talent execs and leaders. It is ranked in the top ten in the world based on traffic, social media followers, domain authority & freshness. The podcast is also ranked as the Best Canadian HR Podcast by FeedSpot and one of the top 10% most popular shows by Listen Score. Want to share the story of how your business is helping to shape the world of work? We offer sponsored episodes, audio adverts, email campaigns, and a host of other options. Check out packages here. Follow us on LinkedIn Subscribe to our newsletter Check out our in-person events