Ethical cleaning firm set to hit ‘life-changing’ £1m wage landmark

Ethical cleaning company Upbeat Clean is due to celebrate a major milestone this year – with £1 million in real living wage salaries and pensions paid to its team of refugee cleaners.

Since it was established in 2020, the King’s Award-winning social enterprise has been providing real living wage employment to people who have come to the UK in search of refuge and asylum through its parent charity Upbeat Communities.

Today, Upbeat Clean, which in 2023 was chosen as Marketing Derby’s Rising Star, employs 70 team members from 15 different countries, with around 70% from refugee backgrounds.

According to the firm, hitting £1 million in real living wage pay is “genuinely life-changing” for its team and their families

And Upbeat says Marketing Derby Bondholders have played a key role in making this happening – by switching their cleaning contracts to the social enterprise.

Managing director Michael Gladwell said: “This feels like a really significant moment for us, not as a fancy number on a spreadsheet, but because of what it represents in people’s real lives, to their families and to integration across the city.

“We’re arguably in the most hostile environment towards refugees that we’ve ever seen. And yet, because of the support and trust of our 45 incredible clients, we’ve almost tripled in size over the last 12 months.”

Upbeat Clean combines cleaning services with life changing employment, enabling Derby’s refugee community to access training and rebuild their lives through real living wage employment.

Today, it counts a number of Marketing Derby Bondholders among its clients.

They include QUAD, Rebuild East Midlands, Smith of Derby, Tioga, University of Derby, Vaillant Group, Vibrant Accountancy, Derby Museums, Enterprising 4 Change, L.E.A.D. IT Services, Althaus, Vaillant Live, Reach Conference Centre, Blue Arrow and Derby County Community Trust.

Michael said: “These organisations have made a huge difference by choosing to align their contracts with their desire to make a real impact on the people of Derby with huge effect.

“They have chosen to use their existing cleaning budgets in a way that actively changes lives.”

One Upbeat Clean employee said: “For me, I wouldn’t give up Upbeat Clean for anything else. The job has helped me 100%, helped me to think clearly, gets me out of the house to meet new people. It gives me back my independence. This makes me happy and increases my confidence.”

Another Upbeat Clean employee said: “I couldn’t find a job. I wanted to find a job, but I didn’t have any experience in the UK so it’s hard to do that first step.

“Other employers couldn’t give me that opportunity as well because I needed some flexibility for my kids and all the other jobs I tried didn’t have that.

“So, Upbeat Clean was like a blessing because they trusted me. They gave me an opportunity. Upbeat Clean made a huge difference.”

Michael said: “Upbeat Clean started because we wanted every refugee woman in Derby to have the opportunity to work, support their family, rebuild their life and integrate here.

“As we’ve grown, our ambition has widened. We now want to help transform how cleaners are treated across the industry, and to show by example that when you pay people properly, invest in them, and expect excellence, everyone benefits – staff, clients and the wider community.

“The wider context matters here. Around 59% of low-paid workers report having to skip meals regularly, and sadly many people working in the cleaning sector fall into that category.

“We see first-hand how insecure and underpaid cleaning work often is, regardless of someone’s background.

“That reality has only strengthened our determination to prove that cleaning doesn’t have to be exploitative, it can be stable, dignified, and genuinely life changing.”

Last year, Upbeat Clean became the first in Derbyshire to win what is considered to be the rarest King’s Award for Enterprise honour, landing the Promoting Opportunity through Social Mobility accolade.

Michael said: “That recognition meant a huge amount to us and our team; not because it’s shiny, but because it validated the idea that changing lives through everyday work is possible and that it really matters.

“We’re incredibly proud of the impact we’ve already had in Derby. Over the next couple of years, we’d love to double again so we can change more lives, from more backgrounds, and continue contributing to the city in a way that strengthens integration and empowerment.

“We’ll also be launching our first franchises this year, so that we can grow this impact across the UK in partnership with other charities and communities.”

To find out more about Upbeat Clean click here.