Colleague benefits


Our people are what make Hft great.  It’s our employees’ dedication to ensuring that the people we support continue to live the best lives possible that has made Hft the charity it is today.

We are a ‘Gold’ standard Investors in People accredited employer, and are proud to be able to reward our employees with all kinds of benefits, including our commitment to supporting colleague well-being.

Salaries and premiums

We pay competitive rates for our sector and regularly monitor local market information to help ensure we continue to be as competitive as we can. We pay extra if you work on a bank holiday, and are also campaigning for the sector to be better funded, to help ensure people working in learning disability services continue to be paid fairly for the exceptional work they do.

Pension

As an employee, you can join our pension scheme from day one of your employment with us. It’s available to all new starters (subject to you meeting eligibility criteria) and Hft will match employee contributions up to a total of 3% of eligible earnings, helping your retirement savings pot to grow.

33 days’ leave

Hft employees receive at least 33 days’ leave (including the eight statutory Bank Holidays), pro rata for people who work part time.

Access to an industry-leading training and development programme

If you join Hft as a support worker, you’ll be supported to receive all of the training and development you need to excel in the role. This includes a comprehensive induction, access to e-learning, coaching and face-to-face training. As Hft’s Learning and Development programme has been recognised by Skills for Care as a training and development Centre of Excellence, you can be confident that the training you’ll receive is among the best in the sector.

Our Investors in People Gold award also highlights the value our staff bring to our learning and development programme.

Life Assurance

Hft provides free life assurance for all employees under the age of 65 for the duration of your employment with Hft. If the worst happens, your beneficiary will receive a pay-out equivalent to three times your annual contracted salary at the date of death.

Family-friendly policies

We appreciate the importance of getting the work/life balance right. This is why we’ve introduced a range of family-friendly policies intended to make your life easier. These range from Parental leave to consideration of flexible working arrangements such as job sharing where possible.

Support colleague well-being

All Hft employees have access to TELUS Health – a free full-service, 24/7, completely confidential counselling and support platform and helpline for all colleagues to use. Whether that’s by telephone, through the dedicated TELUS Health One app ((Apple) or (Android)), or the website, that’s entirely up to you. TELUS Health is the biggest Employee Assistance Programme or EAP in the world, used by 35 million people across more than 15,000 organisations globally, including the Co-op. That support is extended to up to five of your close family members, should they need it. It also offers tailored support for managers, and practical options for work-life matters.

Colleague perks and awards

Through TELUS Health One, Hft employees also gain access to a variety of different perks and benefits, including latest deals, exclusive offers, cashback and giftcards. Past retailers include Aldi, Deliveroo, Sainsbury’s, VisionExpress, Waitrose, The Body Shop, Samsung, Trainline, eBay and Fitbit!

Hft colleagues get additional, free access to comprehensive financial wellbeing support through Wagestream. Used by large UK organisations, including the Co-op and Bupa, Wagestream allows us to offer flexible pay and a range of accessible financial support, through its dedicated app. This includes the option to track and access forthcoming pay, speak to a live (human) financial coach about individual finance queries and concerns, build savings, access shopping discounts, and more.

We hold an annual awards ceremony that celebrates and showcases the very best examples of how people have used the Hft Fusion Model of Support to achieve great outcomes for the people we support. These awards are popular with employees and help us share best practice and creative ideas across the charity.

We also give GEM awards in the form of gift vouchers when people go the extra mile. It is Hft’s way of rewarding you when you make an extra special contribution.

Discounted pay monthly mobile phone contracts

As a Hft employee, you’ll be able to take advantage of Vodafone’s Employee Advantage programme, giving you up to 30% off of up to six pay monthly contracts – which you can share with your family and friends! (Subject to some exclusions.)

As you can see, working for Hft is a rewarding experience in more ways than one. So rewarding in fact, that we’ve launched a Refer a Friend scheme that gives Hft employees the chance to receive a cash reward for introducing their friends and family to the organisation.

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