Sherwood Park’s Spiritleaf’s living wage policy is paying dividends for employees and customers

A few months ago we were contacted by Nic DiGiuseppe, owner and operator of Spiritleaf in Sherwood Park. He wanted to become certified as a living wage employer. We didn’t know what to do? We hadn’t calculated a living wage for Sherwood Park. So we started compiling data and figured out the calculation.

“Being a living wage employer is important to us as we want to be able to provide a standard of living to our team that we would want for ourselves or our loved ones. We want our team to feel cared for and looked after –and that includes having support for a sudden dentist or doctor bill or being able to look after ones mental and physical wellbeing outside of the store,” explained Nic.

Paying higher wages has paid dividends for this Sherwood Park employer. They have great staff retention in a typically high turnover retail industry. They also have excellent Google reviews that commend their team for the guest experience and exceptional knowledge they contribute to the cannabis community. “I truly believe that comes from having a team that is happy to be at work, pleased to share knowledge, and glad to see a guest walk in with questions. Plus, to be compensated and treated well above the industry standard with various perks including paid benefits and a very flexible schedule all add to this.”

Nic went on to say, “we want to contribute to our community by stimulating the local economy and in turn, making this a better place to live and work. A wise man once told me, if you look after the people that run your business, the people that run your business will look after you.”