Abstract

Current literature suggests that the National Living Wage has exacerbated issues in the care sector such as an increase in zero-hour contracts, underpayments in wages, maintaining pay differentials and competition from other sectors. Nevertheless, there is limited research on how these challenges have impacted the professional and personal lives of workers. This research addressed a gap by using hermeneutic phenomenology to explore the private adult social care sector’s lived experiences of the National Living Wage policy in England, contextual factors that influence the living standards of care workers under the policy and by recommending ways to address challenges.
Purposive sampling was used to obtain written interviews of 23 care workers and eight care managers. The findings question the appropriateness of the National Living Wage for the care profession considering the training, role, and workload, suggesting the need for a national care wage. Care workers questioned whether the additional responsibilities of a promotion are worth compared to the minimal pay increase. Thus, care providers need to ensure that senior roles satisfy a care worker’s emotional needs (satisfaction that they are improving the care experiences of service users) and financial needs (living comfortably, minimising overtime and better work life balance). Additionally, more learning and development opportunities need to be provided to break the “glass ceiling” which could prevent women from progressing to senior roles.
The findings also reveal the need for Local Authorities to reconsider the elements of its relationship with care providers considering the challenges put forward by the National Living Wage. Local Authorities need to consider the struggles of competing with corporate businesses in the cleaning and retail sectors and the pressures of maintaining wage differentials. The solution is a fair cost of care based on service specifications rather than the current rates established under extreme austerity. This research demonstrates how care providers have adjusted to the increases in National Living Wage rates with the limited funding available adding to the current short-term analysis in the sector. The insights from this research highlight challenges that policy makers must address to improve worker experiences in the sector. This research would be of interest to organisations such as the Low Pay Commission, HMRC, Department of Health and Social Care and trade unions.