NEWS PROVIDED JOINTLY BY
HigherRing and Living Wage For US Inc
12.17.2024 – 1:00pm
San Francisco, CA, December 17, 2024 – Ethical outsourcer, HigherRing, today announced that it has become a Tier I Plus Living Wage For US Employer, showing that HigherRing is publicly committed to ensuring that all of its employees earn enough to support themselves and their families with a decent living.
HigherRing is the ethical outsourcing partner for socially responsible companies. They harness business as a force for good and partner with impact organizations to lighten their load and further their purpose with fully managed, fractional, full-time, and team operations support. HigherRing creates remote, impact employment where their team members and clients are valued and supported in their efforts to advance us all toward a more sustainable world. HigherRing is a proud women-owned B Corp, a public benefit company, a 1% for the Planet member and is Climate Neutral certified.
The Living Wage For Us Tier I certification confirms that HigherRing has committed to taking actionable steps towards paying a living wage for all employees by initially meeting specific entry-level wage requirements. Employers certified at this level also pledge to increase wages for non-living wage positions by inflation plus three percent annually until all wage gaps are closed. The Plus designation highlights employers who adopt high-road practices, offering benefits that exceed basic living wage standards.
This certification level signals to workers that their employer not only recognizes the importance of their well-being from a basic human rights perspective but is also committed to enhancing their overall quality of life. By prioritizing worker satisfaction, employers like HigherRing not only reduce turnover but also contribute to the social stability and economic growth of the communities where their employees live.
We follow the globally accepted definition of living wage set out by the Global Living Wage Coalition as follows:
The remuneration received for a standard workweek by a worker in a particular place sufficient to afford a decent standard of living for the worker and her or his family. Elements of a decent standard of living include food, water, housing, education, health care, transportation, clothing, and other essential needs including provision for unexpected events.
Employers certified to the For US standard meet strict requirements that are publicly available and have engaged in a rigorous process of examining how their total remuneration packages ensure a decent quality of life for all of their U.S. based employees. Every employer certified through Living Wage For US has informed all affected workers of their commitment and reported minimum wage levels, and honors a worker voice mechanism that allows workers to anonymously engage directly with For US staff.
“HigherRing was founded in response to the unethical treatment I saw working with big retail and tech start-ups where team members on the front lines of the brand experience were treated differently than people at the corporate level” said Michelle Hirons, Founder & CEO.
“Workers were often hired as 1099 contractors with low pay and no benefits. This is why we are proud to become Living Wage For US certified because we know care for our team directly translates into care for our work, excellent performance and a worthwhile return for our clients,” Hirons added.
“HigherRing is one of the first staff outsourcing organizations to achieve certification with Living Wage For Us, demonstrating a strong commitment to ethical sourcing and fair treatment of workers. We are grateful for the leadership shown by living wage-certified employers like Higher Ring and are pleased to welcome them into our distinguished community of certified organizations.”
said Michelle Murray, CEO of Living Wage For US. “By supporting Living Wage For US Employers, people are ensuring that workers can live with dignity, jobs are more purposeful and secure, and that decent pay creates benefits for employers, for workers, for communities, and for US! The more consumers support living wage certified employers, the more employers will move toward voluntarily paying a living wage.”
About HigherRing
We are the ethical outsourcing partner for socially responsible companies and non-profit organizations. HigherRing offers support in five service areas:
- Customer Support
- Executive Assistance
- Financial Operations/Bookkeeping
- Marketing Ops & Sales Support
- Supply Chain Support
About Living Wage For US
Living Wage For US is a nonprofit organization with the mission to overcome the barriers and create the incentives to enable employers to pay living wages, affording a decent quality of life for working families. We envision a world where every family can afford a decent standard of living and every worker is fairly compensated without prejudice.
For US certifies U.S. employers that pay their workers and contractors a living wage based on real costs of living. More than that, we create a community to support employers in understanding how to pay living wages in a way that benefits workers, employers, and communities. We engage consumers and other interested stakeholders through social media, telling the positive stories of those whose lives are affected by higher wages and building the business case for living wage payment. We use research to navigate the impacts of policy changes on how workers can achieve a decent living, creating a space where solid research leads to strong action. Our Standard was developed through a consultative process convened by Oxfam America, which included unions, labor advocates, leading employers, and gender justice organizations. We have sought to ensure that affected workers and employer champions had a strong voice in the process. We join in solidarity with all of you who believe that hard work should ensure a decent living, and celebrate the employers, investors, and organizations who are leading the way. For more information, visit livingwageforus.org.