Employee Benefits

 

Pensions

We run three different types of pension for different staff groups. 

• Group Retirement Plan – a ‘defined contribution’ pension scheme for Support staff
• USS Pension Scheme – open to most Academic and Academic-related staff
• NHS Pension Scheme – open to staff at the Medical School

Holidays and flexible working

Holiday entitlement for support, administrative and other related staff is a generous 40 days off a year, made up of 25 days annual holiday, seven closed days, and eight bank holidays. For part-time staff, holidays are calculated pro rata.

The University also offers a range of benefits to help you achieve a better balance between your family and work responsibilities. We run a flexible working scheme with options including part-time work, job sharing, term-time only working, flexi-time and compressed hours. We provide discounts on childcare and have three day nurseries. We also offer maternity, paternity, shared parental and adoption leave, as well as 13 weeks parental leave for those with children under five.

Training and development

Our staff can benefit from a number of personal and professional development courses and IT courses. We also have a mentoring and coaching scheme, offer leadership training programmes for managers and run courses for staff involved in teaching students.

Employee schemes and discounts

Medical

If you join us, you’ll have the opportunity to join private medical and dental schemes such as the Unum Dental Plan, the Universities and Colleges Personal Healthcare Scheme and the BHSF health cash plan, at preferential rates.  If you work at a computer, you may also be entitled to a free eye test and help towards the cost of glasses.

Retail

Our staff can benefit from a number of offers and discounts on purchases including Costco membership, Forest Holidays and bicycle equipment.

Travel

As part of our sustainable action plan, we offer a range of travel discounts and actively encourage the use of public transport. If you use public transport to travel to work, the University will buy a National Express West Midlands or Centro annual season ticket on your behalf, and recover the cost through deductions in your pay, from which you can make a considerable saving. The University is also keen to encourage people to cycle to work, and we offer a range of benefits and special offers for cyclists through our partnership with Cyclescheme. 

Concierge Service

The University operates in an increasingly global market, and to ensure that we provide an excellent onboarding experience for new staff, we offer a Concierge Service to assist with relocation.  Working with Gerson Relocation / GMS, our Concierge Service can be tailored to the needs of the individual, supporting relocations, whether they are local or international. New members of staff are able to discuss this during the onboarding process.

Advice and support services

We want to support our staff so they are happy and healthy. Our Employee Advice and Support Services team offers a range of confidential services including an advice and listening service, disability and additional needs service, harassment advisers and mediation. We are also the only university with Citizens Advice onsite.