THE REALITY ON THE GROUND
Change Grow Live: A Workforce Under Pressure
Change Grow Live executives present a corporate narrative of a supportive and compassionate charity. The reality on the ground is completely different.
A nationwide survey of Change Grow Live staff exposes the severe financial hardships caused by a decade of poverty wage growth. Frontline workers manage complex caseloads and support individuals in crisis, yet many are being pushed into severe financial insecurity. Dedicated staff are routinely forced to choose between heating their homes and feeding their own families.
The Reality of Frontline Hardship
The resilience required to work in complex social care and substance misuse environments is immense. Yet, this professional dedication and goodwill are consistently relied upon to mask systemic underfunding, deeply unsafe caseloads, and critically low pay. The discrepancy between the life-saving, specialized services delivered on the ground and the compensation provided is no longer sustainable.
It is time for executive leadership to recognize that goodwill does not pay the rent. Fair pay is not a luxury it is an absolute necessity for a safe, functioning, and dignified service.
The Hidden Crisis of Unpaid Overtime
The charity relies heavily on staff working unpaid hours out of deep dedication to their service users. This unpaid labor masks the true cost of delivering these public services. It allows executive directors to hide structural understaffing and dangerously high burnout rates.
Deafening Executive Silence
The results from Unite were delivered to executive managers on 23rd October 2025. To date, no member of the executive team or trustee board has provided a response or addressed the financial struggle of their workforce.
The Cost of Living Reality for CGL Staff
The following survey was conducted by Unite and was open to all CGL staff, regardless of union membership. The results were delivered to executive managers on 23rd October 2025. To date, no member of the executive team or trustee board has provided a response.
| Frontline Welfare and Livelihood Indicator | Survey Outcome and Metric |
|---|---|
| Food Bank Consideration | 42% of staff have considered using a food bank in the past year |
| Active Food Bank Reliance | 16% of staff currently survive on food banks |
| Essential Utility and Food Rationing | 39% must choose between heating their homes and buying food |
| Deferred Purchasing of Essentials | 86% must delay buying basic goods until their next payday |
| Debt Management and Counselling | 73% have been forced to seek debt counselling |
| Pension Contribution Cancellations | 20% have stopped paying into their workplace pensions |
| Debt Rescheduling and Restructuring | 52% have rescheduled debts to make ends meet |
| Housing Insecurity and Homelessness | 53% struggle to pay rent or mortgages, and 5% have been made homeless |
| Reliance on Secondary Employment | 46% have been forced to take a second job to survive |
| Reliance on Emergency Loans | 68% must borrow money from friends or family to make ends meet |
| Decline in Frontline Mental Health | 79% report a decline in mental health due to financial stress |
| Decline in Frontline Physical Health | 54% report a decline in physical health due to low pay |
Share Your Story
Staff are invited to submit their stories to create a record of the human cost of these executive pay choices.
The March 2026 Staff Survey Confirms a Workforce Under Pressure
Change Grow Live’s own internal March 2026 staff survey confirms that the corporate headlines don’t tell the full story.
- Dates: Conducted between 23 February 2026 and 13 March 2026.
- Methodology: Includes 52 questions. CGL’s own metrics state that scores between 5 and 6.9 sit in the moderate range, while 7.0+ is positive. The staff average of 6.9 sits below the positive threshold.
- Response Rate: Only 53%, well below the organisation’s own ideal target of 70%+. This survey cannot be spun as a corporate success story, it is a warning from a workforce under immense pressure.
The March 2026 Reality for CGL Staff
| Staff Experience Indicator | March 2026 Staff Survey Outcome |
|---|---|
| Average Staff Survey Score | 6.9 overall average, sitting just below the positive threshold |
| Employee Net Promoter Score | 66% of staff would recommend Change Grow Live as a place to work |
| Staff Survey Response Rate | 53%, below the organisation’s own ideal response rate of 70% and above |
| Fair Pay and Responsibility | Only 50% believe their pay is fair given their role, responsibilities and industry |
| Confidence in Action After Previous Surveys | Only 48% are confident action has been taken following the last survey |
| Retention and Intention to Leave | Only 57% say they rarely think about looking for a job with another organisation |
| Senior Leadership Visibility | Only 55% say senior leaders are visible and approachable |
| Openness and Transparency | Only 60% say there is a sense of openness and transparency |
| Senior Leadership Communication | Only 61% say senior leaders communicate organisational goals and strategies well |
| Senior Leaders and Organisational Values | Only 61% say senior leaders are good ambassadors for Change Grow Live’s values |
| Inclusion in Decision-Making | Only 62% believe their perspective is included in decision-making |
| Recognition of Staff Contributions | Only 63% feel people are well recognised for their contributions |
| Career Development Opportunities | Only 62% believe there are opportunities at Change Grow Live to develop their career |
| Bullying and Harassment Indicator | 67% say they have not experienced or witnessed bullying or harassment in the last 12 months |
Pay Fairness Remains One of the Clearest Warning Signs
Only 50% of staff agree that their pay is fair. This was one of the lowest-scoring questions in the entire survey. Low pay is not a side issue, it is central to morale, wellbeing, recruitment, retention, and safe service delivery. CGL cannot credibly claim frontline workers are valued when half the workforce feels financially neglected.
Listening Without Acting Deepens Mistrust
Only 48% of staff believe that feedback leads to meaningful change. Staff surveys must not be used as public relations exercises. If workers repeatedly raise concerns about workloads, pay, and wellbeing, those concerns require visible action not corporate silence.
What the March 2026 Survey Really Shows
The March 2026 staff survey does not show a healthy organisation. It shows a workforce still driven by compassion, purpose and commitment, but increasingly strained by poor pay, weak confidence in leadership, limited belief that staff feedback leads to action, and serious gaps in clinical supervision.
Change Grow Live’s own data shows that the strongest part of the organisation is its frontline staff. They continue to hold services together despite feeling undervalued, under-supported and unheard.
These results must not be used to create another corporate narrative of success. They should be treated as evidence of a workforce warning signal.
Compounding this crisis of trust is management’s recent decision to utilise generative AI via the Hive platform to analyze and filter the results. Rather than facing the raw, unfiltered truth of frontline hardship, executives have opted to use automated technology to put a sanitized, positive spin on the direct feedback provided by staff. Employing AI algorithms to polish away genuine workplace distress proves that leadership remains more invested in corporate public relations than in delivering meaningful pay restoration and systemic change.
The campaign is growing
Strength Is Growing
Frontline staff deliver life-saving services every day, yet real-terms pay cuts are pushing them to the brink. We are standing together to demand:
Believe in People
A fair, immediate pay rise and a multi-year plan to restore what has been lost.
Be Bold
Transparency on executive pay and a plan to bridge the inequality gap.
Be Open
Worker representation at Board level, so frontline voices shape the decisions that affect them.
Be Compassionate
A formal response to the cost-of-living crisis affecting staff.
33%
Membership growth in the past three months
Days Of Management Ignoring the Cost of Living Survey Results
2026 is our turning point. Be part of the change and join Unite’s fastest growing campaign.