Jessica O'ConnorTransition by Design, an Oxford-based architecture and design co-operative, has become the first architecture practice in England to receive ‘Living Hours’ accreditation from the Living Wage Foundation.
The accreditation goes beyond paying the real Living Wage by also committing employers to provide workers with secure, guaranteed working hours.
Under the Living Hours scheme, employees must receive a minimum of 16 hours per week (unless they choose otherwise), at least four weeks’ notice of shifts, and compensation for any cancelled shifts.
Transition by Design, a worker-owned co-operative, applied for the accreditation voluntarily after reflecting on the challenges of insecure and unpredictable working patterns within the architecture profession.
The practice said many of its team members had personal experience of insecure work, prompting the decision to formalise its commitment to fair working hours.
Wongani Mwanza, a member of the co-operative, said the group wanted to go beyond simply paying the Living Wage by ensuring security and predictability in working hours.
The Living Wage Foundation welcomed the move, highlighting that Transition by Design is the first in its sector in England to achieve the standard.
The Foundation launched the Living Hours programme in 2019 to address issues of low pay combined with job insecurity, particularly in sectors reliant on shift work.
