Living Wage

Committing to Thriving Communities

How a living wage supports our company, employees, and communities.

As an explicit investment in equity, beginning in FY23 Omni established a living wage floor to ensure that all employees have a minimum salary that enables them to meet basic needs. As a Denver-based company, we benchmark to the Denver market to determine our salary floor. Initially set at $50,000 in FY2023, our current (FY2025) living wage is $51,500. Any salary that we benchmark using market data below that floor level, we will increase to pay the staff member a living wage.

Our rationale for this is policy is simple: by paying a living wage, we support Omni, our employees, and our communities. A living wage floor helps reduce poverty, promote economic stability, and support local economies as workers by increasing employee spending power. Additionally, we believe it fosters a healthier and more productive workforce, decreases staff turnover, and reduces the need for public assistance programs.

How it works

Each year, we benchmark our salaries in the Denver, CO market. If, for example, market data suggests a “Research Assistant” position in Denver is paid $37,500 on average, then we increase that salary $51,500 for the Research Assistance position at Omni.

What Are the Benefits?

  • Cost of living increases dramatically impact lower wage earners who spend a greater share of their earnings on essential expenses.

  • Lower wages disproportionately affect communities of color who experience greater impacts from historically lower wages and lack of generational wealth.

  • Hiring at entry levels of the organization happens most frequently at Omni. With our emphasis on hiring a diverse team at Omni, we will be hiring staff who have increased likelihood to join Omni without generational wealth or other benefits that can/may supplement a lower salary.

  • Raising minimum wages at Omni means:

    • More flexibility in choosing where to live and under what circumstances

    • Lower levels of financial uncertainty and stress

    • Greater opportunity for staff to invest in other programs like our 401k - directly supporting increased generational wealth

    • More salary earning while planning for future life changes that can increase educational access later in life

It is important to acknowledge that this policy will compress salary bands at entry levels of the organization. While we also try to prioritize increasing benefits for the most number of Omni employees, this salary floor is a more narrow benefit, applied to a smaller number of staff. We believe that a salary floor is a direct commitment to addressing historic inequities (like the generational wealth gap and practices such as unpaid internships) and will lay a foundation for all staff to live and work in Denver (or wherever you may live across the US)

Resources

If you’re interested in exploring a living wage policy for your organization, here are some resources to help get your started.