www.durham.ac.uk/hr

Staff Benefits

Human Resources

Ray Hudson Acting Vice-Chancellor and Warden

Benefits for our staff…

I am delighted to share with you our comprehensive range of financial and non-financial benefits available to staff of Durham University.

Our continued success relies on the many talents of all our staff. We aim to create an environment to maximise the benefits of our diverse community, enabling all staff and students to achieve their full potential and help us to attract and retain some of the most able and motivated staff from around the world.

We offer attractive pay and pension schemes, generous leave and an excellent occupational health service. You can take advantage of tax and NI savings through salary sacrifice arrangements on your pension contributions, childcare and a cycle for work.

You can enjoy a range of exciting cultural events and activities including dance, drama, lectures, music, sport, exhibitions, college dinners and family activities.

As a member of staff there are endless activities and opportunities for you to be involved in our thriving University community – I hope you will agree that you are part of something quite special…

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Durham University offers attractive pension schemes with a generous contribution from the University.

Your own pension contributions receive tax-relief and you may be able to benefit from pensions+ to make your contribution through salary sacrifice and lower your NI payments, increasing your take home pay.

USSStaff employed in Grades 6-10 may be eligible to join the Universities’ Superannuation Scheme (USS).

USS provides a tax-free lump sum and a regular income based on the number of years you pay into the scheme and your earnings. Your inflation-linked pension continues after your death to your surviving spouse/civil partner.

DUPSDurham University operates its own occupational pension scheme for staff employed in Grades 1 to 5.

When you retire, DUPS provides a guaranteed income which increases annually. Members have the option to exchange part of their pension for a tax-free cash sum when they retire.

Both USS and DUPS offer a number of other benefits including life assurance.

Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs)To increase the value of your benefits when you retire, you can make Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs) into your pension scheme (subject to certain limits).

NHSThe NHS Pension Scheme is available for clinical academic staff.

Workplace Pension SchemeEligible staff who choose not to, or don’t qualify for USS, DUPS or NHS schemes, will be enrolled into a low cost workplace pension scheme operated by NOW: Pensions.

Pensions Pay and rewardOur graded pay structure is based on the principles of equal pay for work of equal value. Some grades have incremental scales and others have performance related pay.

Discretionary awards reward staff or groups of staff who make a special contribution and our Exceptional Contribution Payments (ECP) scheme rewards sustained, outstanding performance with consolidated pay increases.

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Annual Staff ReviewThe Annual Staff Review ensures a regular dialogue takes place between you and your manager about your development. Your department may choose to support you to gain an external qualification if it is linked to your role. Alongside Annual Staff Review, we have clear criteria and structures for academic probation, progression and promotion.

Staff volunteering We encourage all staff to participate in volunteering opportunities for personal or professional development. Our Experience Durham team can match you to an organisation to suit your skills and experience.

Coaching and mentoringWhen you join Durham, you will be assigned a mentor to help you settle into your role. Continued support is available through our coaching and mentoring network. A period of career coaching may benefit you in your current role or for your future career path.

Preparing for LeadershipWorking collaboratively with the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education, we offer the Academic Leaders’ Programme for new or future heads of academic departments and the Future Leaders’ Programme to develop leadership skills in staff across all disciplines.

Personal development You can benefit from our support to develop your career and your work or personal skills through training, development and coaching opportunities.

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Leave & holidaysMembers of staff receive generous leave and holidays - including annual leave (paid holidays), maternity leave, adoption leave, research leave and parental leave.

HolidaysMembers of staff in Grades 7-10 receive a total of 42 days paid holidays each year. This is made up of 30 days holiday, eight statutory Bank holidays and four Customary days, usually taken at Christmas when the University offices are closed.

Members of staff in Grades 1-6 receive a total of 39 days paid holidays each year. Made up of 27 days holiday, eight statutory Bank holidays and four Customary days, usually taken at Christmas.

Staff on fractional or part-time contracts receive paid holidays on a pro rata basis.

Maternity leave or adoption leaveWe offer an excellent occupational maternity leave scheme with enhanced benefits for eligible staff.

If you have been continuously employed by the University for at least 12 months before the expected week of childbirth, you can choose from two options for maternity leave.

Similar schemes are available if you adopt children. Maternity, adoption leave and return to work are supported by paid Keeping in Touch Days.

Paternity leave or adoption leaveMembers of staff with one year’s service or more at the time the baby is due are eligible for the University’s paternity leave scheme - up to one working week paternity leave with full pay.

Eligible staff can take up to two consecutive weeks as paternity leave with the second week paid as statutory pay.

New fathers may also be eligible for up to 26 weeks paid Additional Paternity Leave (APL) once the baby’s mother has returned to work.

Parental leaveEligible staff who have completed one year’s qualifying service can take a period of parental leave to care for each child.

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Flexible workingWe carefully consider all applications for staff to change their hours, times or places of work to create a more flexible working arrangement.

Research leave This is a highly-prized aspect of Durham’s academic support for research. Academic staff submit an application to their Head of Department detailing their aims and objectives during research leave.

Leave of absence Academic staff may request leave of absence, paid or unpaid, eg to take up an invitation from another university or institution.

Emergency leave At the discretion of their Head of Department, members of staff may take paid emergency leave to deal with unexpected or sudden emergencies involving a dependant.

Bereavement leavePeriods of paid bereavement leave can be given to staff who are bereaved by the death of an immediate family member.

Health & wellbeing Members of staff can enjoy a healthy, active lifestyle through our excellent facilities, organised activities and professional support.

Sports and activitiesDurham University is proud of its exceptional sports participation amongst students and our sports facilities are an important part of our wider curriculum. Staff can also benefit from these impressive facilities at discounted rates, through Team Durham.

Graham Sports Centre, Maiden Castle In the stunning surroundings of Maiden Castle, Durham, the £6.7 million facilities include a fully equipped gym, indoor rowing tank, cricket and football pitches and tennis courts for hire.

Team Durham offer a range of pay-as-you-use exercise classes and bootcamp as well as free, organised walks and activities to help staff maintain an active and healthy lifestyle.

Queen’s Campus Sports CentreQueen’s at Stockton offers outstanding fitness facilities, including a fully equipped fitness suite, state-of-the-art facilities and a range of exercise classes.

You may also join one of the our staff sports clubs including badminton, tennis, football and cricket.

Help and adviceOur Occupational Health Advisors offer confidential advice and support to all staff. They provide information on a range of health topics and can help staff to maintain or improve their health, through access to physiotherapy, counselling services, eye sight testing and work place assessments. Our advisors support staff, who have been unwell, in their return to work and are proactive to help prevent ill health arising from work.

Occupational sick payIf you suffer sickness or injury, you will continue to be paid via our Occupational Sick Pay scheme subject to conditions such as proper notification and certification.

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Benefits+ gives you an opportunity to save money in a number of ways through salary sacrifice – saving money on your NI contributions and increasing your take home pay.

Benefits+ Pensions+ Pension scheme members receive income tax relief on their pension contributions and pensions+ means that both you and the University can make savings.

By agreeing to reduce your gross contractual salary by the value of your pension contributions, the amount both you and the University pay in National Insurance contributions reduces.

Members of both USS and DUPS can participate in pensions+.

Cycleschemecycle+ means you can select the bike and equipment you want (up to £1,000) from a list of over 1,600 independent retailers and pay for the bike from your salary over 12 months, benefiting from tax and NI contribution savings.

Childcare vouchersParents or legal guardians can take advantage of childcare+ by signing up for childcare vouchers with Fideliti. By agreeing to give up some of your gross contractual salary in exchange for childcare vouchers, you will pay less tax and NI. Vouchers can be used for nurseries, holiday clubs and before or after school care with Ofsted approved providers.

Our voucher scheme is flexible, so you can start, stop or change the amount of your voucher each month to suit your needs.

Nursery+You can save money on childcare costs at the University Nursery for children aged 4 months to school age through tax and National Insurance savings.

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The University’s strong traditions in sport, music, the arts and volunteering means our staff and their families can benefit from our distinctive Durham experience.

Events, including sport, student theatre, concerts, volunteering and community outreach are all open to students and our staff. Keep in touch with events through Experience Durham, What’s On Guide and Dialogue Signposts.

Join an SCR Our 16 colleges play an important role in enhancing the academic and personal development of our students. Each College encourages staff to become members of their Senior Common Room (SCR). Members of staff have a unique opportunity to become involved with college life including a varied social calendar.

Stunning venues Through Event Durham, our award winning venue and event team, you can hire fine, elegant venues for social events and weddings. Our historic and picturesque venues include The Castle and its chapel, part of Durham’s World Heritage Site, and the buildings around Palace Green.

Accommodation Our Colleges and Durham Business School offer Bed & Breakfast accommodation during vacations. Members of staff are given a 10% discount on bookings.

College Life

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LibrariesDurham University Library offers a fantastic range of resources and study facilities across four libraries in Durham City and Queen’s Campus library.

Your campus card (staff ID card) is your library card, giving you access to our libraries and enabling you to borrow resources.

CommunitiesYou can benefit from excellent University facilities and the support of our many, vibrant communities in colleges, clubs, societies, social and cultural events.

Members of staff can enjoy student theatre, performing arts, music, sports and charity events.

College life is a big part of what makes Durham so different and many of our students say that our college system is one of the best aspects of University life.

Our YUM cafés offer a choice of areas for staff and students to meet, eat and relax. We use locally sourced, organic and Fairtrade produce wherever possible.

Be part of something...

You have the opportunity to participate in sport and cultural activities, be part of one of our thriving communities and use our world-class facilities.

The University boasts three remarkable and unique attractions, all are free to staff by showing your Campus Card on entry. Look out for their events and family activities.

Botanic GardenOur 25 acre Botanic Garden is set amongst beautiful mature woodlands on the southern outskirts of Durham City. The glasshouses collection includes rainforest and desert plants. Visitors enjoy the garden’s quiet areas to sit and relax and a café and gift shop.

Oriental MuseumThe Oriental Museum is the only museum in the North of Britain devoted entirely to the art and archaeology of the Orient. Our Chinese and Egyptian collections are among the finest to be found anywhere in Britain.

Visitors can explore galleries devoted to China, Ancient Egypt, Japan, India and Tibet, the Islamic World and South East Asia.

Palace Green LibraryOur outstanding collections give a fascinating insight into the rich heritage of the North East of England, including Roman collections and Anglo-Saxon, Medieval and Tudor finds from Durham city and the local area.

Palace Green’s three exciting galleries regularly host exhibitions of treasures from across the globe. Some exhibitions may require a ticket purchase.

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Further information...

Human Resources www.durham.ac.uk/hr

What’s On Guide www.durham.ac.uk/whatson

Let us know

what you think…. reward.team@durham.ac.uk