Benefits of working for Pendle
We want Pendle to be a place where everyone aspires to reach their full potential, and we want to be recognised locally, regionally and nationally as a great area to live, learn, work, play and visit.
We offer a comprehensive Total Rewards Package for staff which includes generous annual leave, flexible working, and an employee assistance programme and health benefits scheme. We also offer a number of benefits via salary sacrifice, providing tax and national insurance savings.
What’s in it for me?
We want to reward you now and in the future.
Pension
We enrol all staff into the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) - these are the benefits:
- tax relief on all contributions
- a guaranteed package of benefits with the option to take a tax free lump sum payment on retirement
- build up pension each year in conjunction with pay, with inflation increases added to ensure that the pension keeps up
- no medical required - unlike other forms of life insurance, it’s open to all
- protection if you are forced to retire early due to illness
- life assurance of three times your annual salary if you die in service
- additional benefits payable to dependents in the event of death
- no hidden costs or management expenses
Your development
We want to encourage and develop the skills of all our staff. We offer training and learning as well as career development, directly linked to our corporate values and objectives.
Support for qualifications
We have a proven track record of supporting and upskilling employees to further professional growth and potential via apprenticeships and professional qualifications. We have funded a variety of qualifications ranging from Masters degrees to NVQs. For staff who stay at the Council for two years after completing a qualification there is no cost for the qualification.
Work-based learning
We’re aiming to offer learning in the workplace in the form of job shadowing, volunteering, coaching and mentoring as well as online and classroom-based training.
Volunteering
We see the benefit of staff learning new skills whilst supporting the community. Our Volunteering Policy allows time off to volunteer for community projects.
Upskilling
We can access government funded training via the apprenticeship levy to support staff while they gain new qualifications relating to their chosen career. Anything from NVQs to a degree.
Future plans
Our aim is to allow our employees to reap the benefits through open access to a whole spectrum of valuable resources on the intranet. This will allow them to take advantage of shared articles, links and video clips to aid further development.
Salary sacrifice benefits
Our benefits scheme forms part of the Total Rewards Package. It involves exchanging part of your salary for a benefit. This means staff can take advantage of significant tax and national insurance deductions.
Car scheme
Staff can sacrifice part of their salary in return for a brand new lease car, with an all-inclusive package of insurance, servicing and tyres. Sacrifice a little more and family members can also benefit from this scheme.
Cycle to work scheme
We’ve arranged for staff to receive access to low cost finance in exchange for a new bicycle, saving you money.
* All of these benefits are subject to eligibility.
Support for your wellbeing
Many of our policies are over and above what we’re legally required to provide.
Holidays
Annual leave starts at 23 days rising to 30 days per year with continuous service (plus bank holidays). Staff can choose to buy up to 10 additional days per leave year to extend your holiday time. Staff can take unpaid leave to benefit from a career break or for emergencies, such as childcare issues, subject to business needs.
Health and wellbeing services
We firmly believe the health and wellbeing of our employees is critical at both a personal and professional level. Our strategic partner Liberata offers a series of programmes and health and wellbeing strategies in the workplace. These include access to a physiotherapist and a number of health initiatives.
Employee assistance programme
We’ve partnered with Health Assured to offer free and confidential personal support, which is also available to family members. It helps to manage change and uncertainty for challenging issues such as welfare and legal advice.
Mental Health First Aiders
We want our staff to know that it’s ok to talk about mental health and that it’s safe to share experiences. Staff have trained as Mental Health First Aiders so that they can lend a friendly ear and signpost others to support and advice internally and externally.
Family-friendly policies
We’re committed to promoting work-life balance. Our comprehensive family policies include maternity leave for up to 52 weeks and adoption and paternity leave to meet family requirements (pay subject to qualifying criteria). Unpaid leave is available depending on the circumstances.
Shared parental leave
Parents now have the opportunity to share time off to care for their child up to their first birthday.
Work-life balance
We provide flexibility here at Pendle Council. We believe it’s a smarter way of working as it allows our staff to meet our business needs as well as their own personal needs. All staff are eligible for flexible working.
The Council recognises the need to enable employees to maximise their performance and productivity and deliver the greatest value to the communities we serve, whilst maintaining a good work life balance.
Agile working
Agile working allows employees to work flexibly from any location, whether it is from a Council building, within the community and client sites or by varying degrees of home working and regular hot-desking.
We offer:
Flexi-time
A system of flexible working hours which allows staff to meet other commitments outside of work, helping to achieve a work-life balance.
Compressed hours
This option gives staff the ability to work total hours agreed over a reduced working week. The most common way of working compressed hours is to work 37 hours in four days.
Time bank
In exceptional circumstances staff can request time from the time bank. This time is donated leave, flexi-credit or time off in lieu (TOIL) from colleagues.
Special leave
In addition to the standard entitlement, we offer leave for special circumstances in times of need such as a bereavement. We also offer other options such as, job sharing; part-time working; term-time only and annualised hours (agreed number of hours per year, rather than a set number per week).
Other benefits
Communication is at the heart of everything we do at the Council.
We regularly survey staff so that we can find out if what we’re doing is working. Responses help us to improve the way we work at Pendle Council and tackle any issues raised by staff. A regular e-bulletin called We’re listening goes out to all staff to highlight what action we’ve taken or will be taking following the surveys.
We communicate regularly with employees and welcome feedback. We also go out visiting teams on a regular basis. The Extended Management Team meeting is used to encourage two-way communication about what is happening at the Council.