November 21, 2024

RIBA has published a new practice note to all RIBA approved practices that they must pay fair wages to all employees, including support and administrative staff and Part 1 architectural assistants.

In the new RIBA practical note: Well-being at work Please note, firms are reminded that they are required to pay at least the Real salaryor the London Living Wage, if applicable.

Last month, Living Wage rates were increased to £12.60 per hour for the UK and £13.85 for London – approved practices must implement these rates by May 1 2025.

What data points are most at risk in the profession?

RIBA collects anonymised salary data during the year Comparative business survey approved firms. The latest survey data, reflecting pay levels in May 2024, confirmed that not all employees receive the real Living Wage. Data indicates that “apprentices,” “architectural assistants,” and “office management/support and administrative staff” are most at risk.

In the bottom salary quartile in London, part 1 architectural assistants were most at risk; in London and the South West and Wessex, architectural assistants and apprentices (level 6 or 7) did not benefit from the living wage rates then in force.

Analysis of salary data also shows a persistent gender pay gap of 16% and an ethnicity pay gap of 13%.

The practice note specifically recommends that small practices check that support and administrative staff are paid at least the actual living wage for their area and that mid-sized practices should review the salaries of their architectural assistants.

It also requires that apprentices in approved practices receive at least the living wage for hours worked in the practice (usually 80%) and at least the statutory minimum wage for study days (usually 20%).

A separate survey of law firm employees found that although most law firms pay their staff the actual living wage based on their contracted hours, many early-career employees do not receive it after working overtime included.

Why the profession must normalize flexible working arrangements and not expect overtime to go unpaid

RIBA president Muyiwa Oki, who has championed measures to improve workplace wellbeing, said this week the profession must standardize flexible working arrangements and not expect or demand unpaid overtime .

“Architecture is a fulfilling but demanding career. Our profession is not unique in its culture of unpaid overtime, but the difference is that architects’ salaries do not reflect the actual amount of work they do – ​​nor the value of it,” they say. .

“My first priority as President of RIBA, as set out in my Biennial planis to defend measures aimed at improving well-being at work. Our profession is a force for good, but to reach its full potential, it needs cultural change. »

Muyiwa continues: “Like many things in life, it is a question of balance: we must standardize flexible working arrangements, not schedule or require overtime that cannot be paid, and promote well-being. be to ensure that people feel valued. The remuneration, after a long journey towards professional qualification, is an unreasonable reward for the efforts made to join our profession. It undermines our profession and excludes people, including those with family responsibilities or disabilities. prerequisite for proposing an architecture that meets the needs of everyone in society.

“This Practice Note is a strong reminder and caution to all RIBA Approved Practices that they must ensure fair and equal treatment of all employees, as a fundamental principle of the Code of Practice they adhere to. “

What else can we find in the practical note?

The practice note offers new guidance on how practices should approach overtime and reminds employers that they must be careful not to put employees’ mental or physical health at risk.

Architecture has a long-standing problem with a culture of long hours and the fact remains that UK employers are not legally obliged to pay workers for overtime. Therefore, the Practice Note states that it is therefore important for practices to understand what exactly counts as overtime and to consider how flexible working hours and time off in lieu (TOIL) can help if overtime are not paid.

Flexible working hours allow employees to have more control over their daily working hours, for example by compressing contractual working hours into a “nine-day fortnight”.

Additionally, TOIL is when an employer offers time off to workers who have exceeded their contracted hours. Where an employee is not paid for overtime hours regularly worked or not offered to them, overtime work may bring hourly pay rates below the actual living wage requirements.

Surveys have revealed that work schedules vary considerably between practices. Overall, the average working hours in approved firms is 37 hours per week. Larger firms tend to have slightly longer working hours, while smaller firms tend to have shorter hours.

The majority of RIBA approved practices offer remuneration or TOIL for staff who work beyond contracted hours – 53% offer it to all staff and 14% to some. This leaves a third of practices which do not reward staff working beyond contractual hours.

Other surveys suggest that the proportion of practices offering a reward to all staff for overtime worked decreases as practices become larger.

At the very least, as the practice note states, firms must ensure that hours worked without pay or TOIL do not cause a member of staff’s hourly pay to fall below the actual living wage, which would mean that the requirements of approved practice are not being met.

Download the Wellbeing and Workplace Practice Note.

Email the RIBA Professional Standards team if you have any questions or need advice.

Text by Neal Morris. This is a professional feature published by the RIBA Practice team. Send us your comments and ideas

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