Transition by Design, a design collective based in the city, has signed up to the national scheme which aims to encourage Living Wage employers to go one further and guarantee employees security of working hours.

The practice, which is one of only five registered architecture workers’ co-operatives in the UK, said it has chosen to join the scheme to ensure conditions for its workers are not ‘precarious or exploitative’, taking a firm stance on issues such as precarity of employment, long hours and low pay.

The practice joins 200 other Living Hours employers across the UK, including Glasgow-based MAST Architects, which became the first architecture practice to be accredited in the UK in autumn 2023.

The scheme requires employers, who must already be Living Wage-accredited employers, to guarantee at least four weeks’ notice for shifts, with any cancelled within that period paid in full. They also must provide a minimum of 16 hours per week for all those who want it.

It also requires practices to provide contracts that accurately reflect the hours worked, with all these commitments applying to all staff and regularly third-party workers in the UK aged 18 and over.

Wongani Mwanza, director at Transition by Design, said: ‘We see it as essential to ensure that the conditions for our workers are not precarious or exploitative, but secure and enriching. 

‘That is why we have chosen to become the first Living Hours architecture practice in England, accredited by the Living Wage Foundation.’

According to Mwanza, all of his colleagues have previously experienced poor working practices at other studios, from precarious hours to low pay. ‘This includes staying in the office until 2am to complete a competition deadline, having a work contract with one day’s notice and no benefits, and being paid minimum wage.’

The architect pointed to the findings of this year’s RIBA Workplace & Wellbeing Survey, which found that 90 per cent of practice employees regularly work overtime, with two-thirds doing this with no extra pay or compensation. 

Meanwhile Pay 100, a volunteer-run annual survey, highlighted at the end of last year that most Part 1 architectural assistants do not get paid a Real Living Wage when taking into account unpaid overtime. 

Mwanza said that at Transition by Design, the practice also offers the flexibility to temporarily decrease or increase hours based on project needs and personal circumstances, and has a long-standing policy of paid overtime. 

He added: ‘Living Hours is a great initiative, designed to tackle underemployment and unpredictable working patterns, especially for those on low pay. It further embeds the principles of a Living Wage while supporting people to have secure work and stable incomes to help them thrive and plan.’

Katherine Chapman, director of the Living Wage Foundation, said she was ‘delighted’ that Transition by Design had joined the ‘movement of hundreds of responsible employers across the UK who voluntarily commit to provide their workers with the secure working hours they need to thrive’.

She added: ‘They lead the way by becoming the first architecture firm in England to accredit as a Living Hours Employer, setting a powerful example to others in their industry.’

According to the Living Wage Foundation, there are currently 21 architecture practices signed up as Living Wage employers.