We are delighted to announce that BounceOT Stirling CIC has been named a finalist for the Living Pension Award at the Living Wage Scotland Awards 2026, for the second consecutive year.
The Living Wage Scotland Awards celebrate organisations and individuals making an outstanding contribution to the Living Wage movement across Scotland. This year, the finalists will come together for a special celebration at the Riverside Museum in Glasgow.
The Living Pension Award is sponsored by The Lines Between, and we are honoured to be shortlisted alongside Fluidic and McSence.
Being recognised as a finalist once was a tremendous honour. Reaching the final for a second year in a row feels especially significant. It shows that our commitment to fair, secure and sustainable employment is not a one-off initiative or a badge displayed on the wall. It is something we continue to embed within our decisions, employment practices and relationships with our team.
What is the Living Pension?
Living Pension accreditation builds on the foundations of the real Living Wage. It sets a pension savings benchmark that employers can use to help their employees build greater financial security for retirement.
For BounceOT, becoming a Living Pension Employer was a natural extension of our existing values. As a social enterprise supporting children and adults with disabilities, we believe that the people delivering this important work should feel valued, supported and secure.
Many roles within health, care and third-sector services are part-time or flexible. This makes it particularly important that employers consider how pension arrangements, access to benefits and long-term financial planning can work fairly for everyone.
Supporting financial security now and in the future
Our Living Pension accreditation reflects a practical and continuing commitment to our team.
Employees can choose to increase their pension contributions, which BounceOT will match. For example, one employee currently contributes 8 per cent of their salary, with an 8 per cent employer contribution from BounceOT. This exceeds the Living Pension standard and supports that individual employee’s retirement goals.
We also recognise that pensions can sometimes feel complicated or easy to put off, particularly when people are busy with work and other responsibilities. During monthly one-to-one supervision, staff therefore have protected time in which they can confidentially access and review their pension accounts. They can check their contributions, update their details and ask questions if they wish.
This is a relatively simple step, but it helps to make financial wellbeing part of our everyday support for employees rather than something that is discussed only once a year.
Secure employment is about more than pensions
Although we are proud of our Living Pension accreditation, our approach to secure and stable employment goes much further.
We recognise that financial security, physical and emotional wellbeing, work-life balance and professional development are closely connected. Our wider employee benefits and employment practices include:
- a Westfield Health cashback healthcare plan, including access to a 24-hour GP service and support with physiotherapy, dental and optical costs;
- a contribution of up to 50 per cent towards employees’ annual gym membership costs;
- the option for BounceOT to pay the full gym membership cost upfront, allowing employees to repay their share monthly over an agreed period;
- flexible working hours and home-working opportunities where these are compatible with the employee’s role;
- an additional day of leave for each employee’s birthday;
- annual leave entitlement that increases with length of service;
- Duvet Days, providing flexibility or time away from work where operational capacity allows;
- regular one-to-one supervision and opportunities for staff to contribute to the development of their roles;
- professional autonomy and trust;
- investment in training, including learning that goes beyond mandatory requirements; and
- continued consultation with staff about our employment offer, including potential improvements to company sick pay.
We regularly review these arrangements with our team. This helps ensure that our employment practices remain relevant and responsive, rather than being developed without input from the people they are intended to support.
We are particularly proud to have retained the same core staff team for three + years. We believe this reflects the positive, trusting and supportive workplace culture that we have built together.
Promoting and celebrating our accreditation
We want our Living Pension commitment to be visible, meaningful and open to discussion.
Our Living Pension plaque is prominently displayed at the entrance to our therapeutic playroom, which is open seven days a week. This means that families, beneficiaries, professionals, partners and visitors can see our commitment from the moment they arrive.
The Living Pension logo is also displayed in the footer of every page of our website. We have published blogs and social media content explaining why the accreditation matters, both to our team and to the wider values of the organisation.
We also refer to our accreditation in funding applications and procurement activity as evidence of responsible and sustainable employment practice. Most recently, we included it within our tender to join a Stirling Council framework.
By talking openly about our accreditation, we hope to encourage other organisations, particularly small employers, charities and social enterprises, to explore the difference they can make through fair pay, pension security and values-led employment.
BounceOT selected as a Living Wage Scotland case study
We are especially proud that our work has now been selected as a case study for the main Living Wage Scotland website.
What began as an employer profile developed further after we shared detailed reflections about our experience of Living Pension accreditation, its impact on our team and the practical ways in which we have embedded it across our organisation.
The resulting case study will enable our experience and learning to be shared nationally through Living Wage Scotland’s website and communications.
This is an important opportunity for us to demonstrate that progressive employment practices are possible within smaller organisations. While small social enterprises may not have the same resources or infrastructure as large employers, they can still take meaningful action by listening to staff, reviewing benefits, supporting financial wellbeing and making thoughtful decisions about long-term security.
We hope the case study will encourage other organisations to see Living Pension accreditation as more than a standard to achieve. It can also provide a framework for wider conversations about staff wellbeing, retention, career development and the kind of employment culture an organisation wants to create.
A continuing commitment to fair work
The new UK real Living Wage announced in October 2026 is £14.10 per hour.
At BounceOT, our Living Pension accreditation sits alongside our wider commitment to the real Living Wage, flexible employment, staff wellbeing and professional development. We do not see these as separate initiatives. Together, they help us create a workplace in which people can feel trusted, supported and valued.
“Being shortlisted for the Living Pension Award for a second year running is an incredibly proud moment for everyone at BounceOT. It recognises our team’s contribution and our continuing commitment to creating employment that is fair, supportive and secure.
Our Living Pension accreditation is not simply a badge. It represents practical decisions about how we invest in our people and support their wellbeing, both now and in the future.
We are also delighted that our journey will be featured as a case study on the Living Wage Scotland website. As a small social enterprise, we hope our experience demonstrates that progressive employment practices are not only possible within large organisations. Smaller employers can listen to their staff, take meaningful action and help lead positive change.
Reaching the final for a second consecutive year belongs to our whole team. Their care, commitment and belief in what we are building make recognition like this possible.”
Callum MacKinnon, Founder and Executive Director
Looking forward to the awards
We are proud to stand alongside the other finalists and organisations contributing to the Living Wage movement across Scotland.
Whatever the outcome on the evening, reaching the final for a second consecutive year is a significant achievement for our small team. It strengthens our determination to continue developing secure, supportive and values-led employment at BounceOT.
Most importantly, this recognition belongs to our staff. Their commitment, skill, flexibility and care make our work possible, and we are proud to invest in their wellbeing and future.
We look forward to joining the other finalists at the Riverside Museum in Glasgow and celebrating the organisations and individuals helping to build a fairer and more secure future for workers across Scotland.
View the Living Wage Scotland Awards 2026 finalists
Learn more about the Living Pension
