“The move to the real Living Wage has had a really positive impact on me both professionally and personally. At work, it’s strengthened morale and reinforced that BounceOT values staff and the responsibility we carry. In my personal life, it’s reduced day‑to‑day financial stress and made it easier to plan ahead with more confidence.”
At BounceOT, our purpose has always been simple: create an inclusive, safe and joyful space where children, young people and adults can take part in meaningful, therapeutic play — and where families and unpaid carers feel supported too.
Today, we’re proud to share an important milestone in how we live those values as an employer:
BounceOT is now accredited as both a Living Wage Employer and a Living Pension Employer.
This isn’t a badge we’ve added “because it looks good”. It’s a values-led commitment to fair work, staff wellbeing, and long-term security — and we hope it contributes to raising the bar for ethical employment across our local economy and the wider sector.
What does it mean to be a Living Wage Employer?
The real Living Wage is an independently calculated rate based on the cost of living, and it’s voluntary — employers choose to pay it because they believe a fair day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay.
Becoming Living Wage accredited means making a public commitment to paying at least the real Living Wage (and keeping up with annual updates), backed by a clear accreditation process and employer mark.
What does it mean to be a Living Pension Employer?
The Living Pension is a newer accreditation that builds on the Living Wage and sets a clear benchmark for workplace pension savings — helping employers support staff not just to “get by now”, but to build security for the future.
The Living Wage Foundation describes the Living Pension as an annual savings target designed to improve workers’ financial security now and in retirement, and it’s available to accredited Living Wage Employers.
Why this matters to BounceOT
BounceOT is an inclusive therapeutic play and rebound therapy service. We adapt the physical, social and sensory environment to meet individual needs — and we believe our internal culture should reflect the same respect, dignity and inclusion.
Fair pay and fair pensions are not “extra”. They’re part of how we create a workplace where people can thrive — and in a people-centred service, when staff thrive, families feel the benefit too.
The human reason: wellbeing, stability, and dignity
The cost-of-living crisis has made financial stress a reality for many households. Evidence consistently links money worries with poorer wellbeing — including increased anxiety and stress.
Paying the real Living Wage — and going further with a Living Pension — is our practical response to that reality:
- Fair pay helps reduce day-to-day financial pressure and supports stability.
- Fair pension saving helps protect long-term dignity and security — especially for staff in vital frontline roles.
What our staff say
We asked team members what these accreditations mean to them — and their words capture the heart of why we’ve done this.
Brian (Senior Therapeutic Play Leader): What does the real Living Wage mean to you?
“The real Living Wage means feeling valued and respected for the work I do. It gives me more financial stability and takes some pressure off day to day. It also makes me proud to work for BounceOT because it shows the organisation backs up its values with action.”
Brian: What does a Living Pension mean to you?
“A Living Pension means peace of mind. It tells me BounceOT is thinking beyond the day‑to‑day and investing in my future, not just my work now. It makes me feel valued and secure, and it reinforces that I’m part of an organisation that genuinely lives its values as a responsible employer.”
Eliza (Service Manager): What impact has the real Living Wage had on you at work and in your personal life?
“The move to the real Living Wage has had a really positive impact on me both professionally and personally. At work, it’s strengthened morale and reinforced that BounceOT values staff and the responsibility we carry. In my personal life, it’s reduced day‑to‑day financial stress and made it easier to plan ahead with more confidence.”
We’re incredibly grateful to our team — the quality, care and consistency they bring to BounceOT is what makes the service what it is.
The practical reason: a stronger, more sustainable service
Living Wage and Living Pension accreditations aren’t only the right thing to do — there’s a growing evidence base showing real organisational benefits, including:
- improved morale, retention and productivity
- reputational gains and recruitment benefits
That matters in a service like ours, where relationships, trust, predictability and skilled support underpin a positive experience for participants and families.
Business benefits we’ve seen at BounceOT
Since committing to the real Living Wage, we’ve seen tangible benefits including:
- Better retention and stability — supporting continuity for families and reducing recruitment churn
- Increased motivation and pride — fair work strengthens culture and shared purpose
- Stronger positioning in funding and awards — meeting fair work expectations helps demonstrate organisational maturity and ethical practice, which many funders value
(One example of successful investment alongside our wider fair work approach is The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland £100,000 two‑year grant supporting a new project in Stirling.)
See our latest blog! - BounceOT Stirling awarded £100,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland!
Challenges we had to manage (and how we approached them)
We want to be honest: implementing fair pay and fair pensions takes planning — especially for a social enterprise delivering community impact.
The biggest challenge: aligning funding, applications and budgeting with the true cost of fair work
The key challenge has been ensuring our funding priorities, grant applications and budgets keep pace with increases in:
- wages
- employer on-costs like tax/NI
- pension contributions
This means we regularly review delivery budgets and, where needed, ensure some services are priced sustainably — so we can protect fair work commitments without compromising quality.
What we did to make it sustainable
- strengthened our budgeting and forecasting to reflect full employment costs
- built fair pay and pension commitments clearly into funding narratives and costings
- reviewed service budgets and pricing responsibly where required
- prioritised long-term sustainability over short-term fixes
Why it’s important for local and small businesses to get involved too
We also believe strongly that fair work should not be seen as something “only big organisations can do”.
Local and small businesses are major employers in every community — and when they adopt fair standards, the benefit multiplies:
- more households gain financial stability
- more money circulates locally
- fair work becomes a mainstream industry standard, not the exception
This matters for our wider community. The more employers who commit, the more we shift expectations towards “this is how work should be”.
Why Living Pension matters — especially now
If the Living Wage helps people live with dignity today, the Living Pension helps protect dignity tomorrow.
The Living Pension standard was created because many workers aren’t saving enough for an acceptable standard of living in retirement — and because employers have a vital role in changing that.
We want our staff to feel secure not only in the month-to-month, but across the whole arc of their working life.
What this means for the families and communities we support
At BounceOT, our service model is built around:
- inclusive access (no diagnosis or referral required)
- adapting environments to individual sensory, communication and physical needs
- providing both family-led and facilitated sessions
- creating respite opportunities for unpaid carers
A stable, supported workforce strengthens all of that.
When staff feel valued and secure:
- the service becomes more consistent
- relationships deepen
- trust grows
- quality improves
That’s not just good employment practice — it’s part of delivering safe, meaningful support to the people who rely on us.
Finalists at the Living Wage Scotland Awards: Living Pension Award (sponsored by APSE)
We’re delighted to share another proud moment in our fair work journey: Bounce OT Stirling was shortlisted as a finalist for the Living Pension Award, sponsored by APSE, at the Living Wage Scotland Awards.
The Awards took place at Tynecastle Park in Edinburgh on Thursday 13 November 2025, bringing together employers across Scotland who are raising the bar for fair pay and good work.
While we didn’t take home the trophy on the night, being shortlisted as a finalist is a meaningful recognition of our commitment to values-led employment as a small social enterprise.
“Being shortlisted for the Living Pension Award is a proud moment for Bounce OT. It reflects our deep commitment to creating a workplace where fairness, dignity, and long-term security are more than just words—they’re embedded in everything we do. As a small social enterprise, we’ve shown that it’s possible to lead with values and invest meaningfully in our team’s future. This recognition is not just for us—it’s for every organisation striving to make work better, fairer, and more sustainable.”
Callum MacKinnon, Founder & Executive Director
Thank you (and an invitation)
To our staff: thank you for the work you do every day, and for shaping BounceOT’s culture with care, professionalism and heart.
To our partners, funders and community: thank you for backing a model that puts inclusion and ethical practice at the centre.
And to other employers — especially small and local businesses — we’d love to encourage you to explore Living Wage and Living Pension accreditation. There is support available, and the impact can be huge for individuals, organisations and communities
