Research

Pay is more than a number on a payslip: it underpins security, dignity, and a decent quality of life. Yet 1.6 million workers in the UK are still not paid a living wage.

Research led by the University of Glasgow Adam Smith Business School, working with colleagues at the University of Edinburgh Business School, is building a clearer picture of what changes when workers receive enough pay to meet their living costs.

The findings show benefits for both workers and their employers. People receiving a living wage report better physical and mental health and are more likely to focus their efforts on a single employer. This can create more opportunities to develop skills and progress at work, while improving productivity and job satisfaction.

For employers, these benefits can also mean fewer days lost to sickness and improved staff retention. The effects extend beyond the workplace too. Better health, greater financial security and opportunities to develop skills can benefit families and communities, while reducing demand for welfare support.

The research also looks beyond pay alone. Professor Searle’s work highlights the importance of decent work and the wider conditions that shape people’s experience of employment. Raising wages without considering job quality, security, fairness and trust can limit the benefits for workers and organisations.

To bring these ideas to a wider audience, the researchers worked with the European Association of Work and Organisational Psychology and the Economic and Social Research Council Impact Acceleration Account to develop SuperBMarket, an interactive online educational game.

             

Following four characters connected to a fictional business, the game asks players to make decisions about working conditions and then shows how those choices affect individuals, managers, the organisation and the wider community. It explores the connections between job quality, employee identity, organisational commitment, fairness, and trust, showing how seemingly small workplace decisions can build over time into much wider consequences.

The research continues to contribute to international discussion about living wages, precarious work and decent work. Recent work by Professor Searle and collaborators has examined how partnerships across sectors can help address poverty and inequality, with this research recognised as Runner-Up for the Best OB Division Practitioner Paper Award at the Academy of Management 2026.

Together, the research and SuperbMarket offer practical ways for employers, policymakers, and researchers to consider how fair pay and good-quality work can create better outcomes for people, organisations, and society.

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For further information, please contact business-school-research@glasgow.ac.uk 

First published: 20 June 2022