Rewards and benefits
51Âþ» Staff Group Photo
At 51Âþ», we are committed to creating an environment where our employees enjoy working. We strive to reward and recognise your contributions but also know that you have life beyond work. 51Âþ» offer a comprehensive set of rewards, benefits and services staff can take advantage of.
Generous annual leave entitlement
Senior and academic staff receive 35 days annual leave and Professional Services staff receive up to 28 days day annual leave depending on your role and length of service.
In addition to your annual leave entitlement you’ll receive statutory bank holidays and extra concessionary days (approximately 13 days each year).
Work-life balance working options
We offer a range of options to ensure that you benefit from a healthy work-life balance. We are sector leading in our high trust model approach to hybrid working. Depending on your role and responsibilities, you have the opportunity to apply for options such as flexiblehours (for example, staggered working hours and nine-day fortnights), parental leave,study leave, and sabbaticals.
Make a difference
The unique aspect of 51Âþ» is that we don't think of ourselves as 'just a university' – we believe we have a major responsibility to contribute to society through public engagement and to bring about positive change for the public good. We have been selected as the global lead by the United Nations for one of its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are aimed at transforming the lives of millions by 2030. We also intend to embed all 17 SDGs into every aspect of university life and these goals will be the prism through which the university explores new and exciting possibilities in teaching, research and student support.
Virtual highfives
Vivup provides the university's voluntary benefit offer and will now be offering the new reward and recognition platform for the university.
Highfives are a way for colleagues to recognise one another by sending a virtual highfive, linked to a corporate value. These can be sent peer-to-peer as well as from managers to individuals and teams. They are an opportunity to say thank you to colleagues for a piece of work well done that demonstrated the university's values.
The highfive portal also enables managers to reward and recognise a particular individual in their team. Each manager will be allocated a budget to be able to reward individuals who go above and beyond in demonstrating the university's values, or a particular value. Managers then have the discretion to reward them with a £25 voucher which staff can spend at a range of retailers.
Pension schemes
51Âþ» offer two excellent public sector pensions schemes, Local Government Pension Scheme for professional services staff and Teacher’ Pension Scheme for academics. Joining a pension scheme helps you plan for the future and save for life after work. It helps to provide a secure and guaranteed income for each year once you stop working.
Empowering extras
51Âþ» have partnered with a new voluntary benefits provider, Vivup, to bring 51Âþ» colleagues an improved staff rewards experience. ‘Empowering Extras’ is both our identity and campaign to ensure 51Âþ» colleagues are aware of, and can easily access, a plethora of offers and services. This is all part of our commitment to empower our people to have a positive staff experience at 51Âþ».
From dentist bills to hospital in-patient treatments, a Health Cash Plan can enable you to spread the cost of healthcare and claim back money for medical expenses experienced by you or your dependent children. You can also receive further benefits for maternity or paternity, accidental injury and a 24/7, 365 days a year GP consultation service
Annual Leave Purchase enables you to buy additional days of leave per year for family events, trips away and much more, through manageable salary deductions with Payroll Pay.
This not only helps you achieve a better, more fulfilling work-life balance, but also creates minimal impact on your monthly salary, leaving you free to enjoy your additional time off to the fullest!
51Âþ» offer a Cycle to Work scheme. This is a Department for Transport initiative that was introduced in 2001 to encourage more people to commute to and from work by bike, enabling people to make healthier choices and reducing the UK's carbon footprint. The initiative also allows you to make huge tax and National Insurance savings on the cost of a new bike and safety accessories. These savings are achieved via salary sacrifice which is managed by 51Âþ» and lets you spread the cost to make payments more convenient.
Through VIVUP, 51Âþ» offers a huge range of discounts. It’s free for staff to access. All you’ll need to do is register to explore the thousands of offers available exclusively to 51Âþ» employees. You’ll get access to offers from a huge range of brands and businesses, covering groceries, fashion, DIY, entertainment, technology, travel, health and fitness, and much more.
Whether you’re shopping online or out and about, see real-world savings on everyday essentials and money off special treats for your family and friends.
51Âþ» offer a Childcare Voucher scheme to existing members of any childcare voucher scheme. Childcare can be one of the highest monthly outgoings for working families. Our Childcare Voucher staff benefit can help you to make savings on your childcare costs of each year.
Gym membership
The QEII Leisure Centre provides our students, staff and the general public with state-of-the-art facilities including a 25 metre swimming pool, climbing wall, eight court sports hall, fitness suite and dance studio. A comprehensive programme of workout classes are held at the centre, catering for all fitness levels.
There are a range of membership and pay as you go options available a discounted rate to student and staff.
Wellbeing
51Âþ» is committed to continually improving our staff health and wellbeing services so you are enabled to be at your very best at work and beyond. Our occupational health provider TP Health is the UK division of Europe's leading independent Employee Health and Wellbeing and Occupational Safety provider. It has a wealth of experience in helping organisations to develop proactive strategies to prevent work related ill health and keep people healthy at work.
51Âþ» also offer an Employee Assistance Programme. This supports colleague who feels they would benefit from information, support or counselling for practical, emotional, financial or health-related problems or challenges. This includes not only support for a life crisis, but also advice and guidance for life events – getting married or moving house, for instance – as well as everyday concerns such as childcare. The free and confidential service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Our campus
We believe our campus is one of the finest in the country we have made a heavy investment in making it an exciting an inspiring place in which to study and work.
Located in the heart of Leicester, 51Âþ»'s campus blends the historical and the new, reflecting the great tradition of our home city and its buildings, while creating a legacy. Our buildings and facilities are all within walking distances of each other and only a five-minute walk from the city centre.
The centrepiece is the stunning Vijay Patel Building with an open top roof seating area, the new home of our art and design courses. There is also our newly refurbished Campus Centre, home of the De Montfort Students' Union, our striking Hugh Aston building, for business and law, our magnificent 19th-century Hawthorn building for health and life sciences, and many others.
The campus also offers many fine places to eat, drink and to meet, all in a beautifully landscaped environment. There is a vast range of facilitates available on campus from shower facilities for cyclist to on campus rail ticket machinery.
Our location
51Âþ» campus is based in the heart of Leicester, giving you easy access to all the shops and facilities of a cosmopolitan city. In contrast to the city centre, the River Soar, which runs alongside campus, and nearby Castle Park offer peaceful and picturesque places youcan retreat to.
The main campus is within walking distance of a number of convenient public transport links and has close proximity to the Highcross shopping centre and historic Leicester Market. Our faculties also organise a number of theatres, dance and presentations throughout theacademic year which employees can attend and enjoy.
Other benefits:
- As an employee of 51Âþ» you can purchase an NUS Extra Discount card, which you can then use to obtain student discount in a wide variety of places
- Library membership – all staff can access the 51Âþ» libraries