B&Q doubles compensation for staff affected by changes to pay

B&Q made adjustments to its pay and reward structure earlier this month, which came into effect alongside the national living wage.

The retailer faced backlash, and a petition started by an anonymous store manager entitled ‘Don’t use living wage as excuse to cut pay and benefits’ has drawn close to 136,000 signatures.

The retailer has now unveiled improved compensation terms for those who would have lost out as a result of changes to Sunday pay and seasonal bonuses.

A spokesman said: “Many colleagues will be better off or unaffected by the changes, and we have decided to extend the compensation so that no one will lose out for the next two years.” 

While offering all staff a basic hourly rate of £7.66, which is 46p more than the living wage, B&Q has removed time-and-a-half pay for working on Sundays and summer and winter bonuses.

“Over the past 10 years, inconsistencies and complexities have arisen in our pay structures, which have meant that colleagues doing the same job in the same store were being paid different amounts,” the spokesman said.

“For our business to be successful it is very important to us that our colleagues are paid well, consistently and in a way which rewards performance, and this is reflected in the new pay and reward structure that came into effect on April 1, 2016.

“Over the next two years, we will continue to work with our colleagues to look at ways we can enhance our overall reward package to ensure we remain one of the best and most attractive employers in retail.”

The decision to extend the compensation period from one to two years has been made with the support of B&Q’s elected staff representatives, the retailer added.