Employee Benefits
As well as a competitive starting salary, the Northern Ireland Assembly offers a number of additional employee benefits. These include:
Hybrid Working
Many of our roles offer hybrid working whereby staff may have the opportunity to work from home for part of the week.
Holidays
The Assembly offers an annual leave allowance starting with 25 days and increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30 days. We also offer 12 public and privilege holidays per year.
Family-friendly Policies
The Assembly has a range of family-friendly policies to allow staff to balance work with the other aspects of their lives. These include part-time working, job-sharing arrangements, flexible working and special leave provisions.
We provide maternity provisions, paternity, parental and adoption leave, many of which are provided at an enhanced rate beyond statutory entitlement.
Pension
The Assembly will enrol you into the Civil Service Pension Scheme from the first day of employment. Staff contribute between 4 and 9% of salary and the Assembly Commission contribute a further 28 to 35% of salary, depending on your rate of pay.
These pension arrangements provides you with financial security and options when you retire, as well as benefits for your family and loved ones. Some of the benefits of the NICS pension include:
- member contribution rates among the lowest in the public sector
- tax relief on your contributions
- generous employer contributions
- a secure, inflation-proof pension for life, with no investment uncertainty
- the option of tax-free lump sum on retirement
- potential access to ill health and injury benefits if you become too ill to work
- life assurance cover
- benefits for loved ones and dependants
Flexi-time
The Assembly offers flexi time which provides flexibility on start and finish times and the length of lunch breaks, subject to business needs. Staff can accrue flexi time when they work beyond their usual hours, and then claim it back later.
Car Parking
Free convenient car parking beside Parliament Buildings on Stormont Estate.
Getting On Board Programme
We have a comprehensive approach to introducing new staff to the work of the organisation called the Getting On Board Programme. This programme will help you to become familiar with your colleagues and the work you will be engaged in. It will help you integrate into your team quickly and help you contribute to the Assembly’s overall aims.
Learning and Development
We recognise the importance of continuous professional and personal development opportunities. Our Learning and Development programme is open to all staff and consists of a number of formal and informal initiatives delivered under five main themes, namely:
- Corporate training
- Assembly business skills
- Health and Wellbeing and personal development
- Management and leadership skills; and
- Digital and ICT capability.
You will have regular conversations with your line manager and have the opportunity to discuss and agree future learning needs to help you excel in your new role.
Welfare Support / Employee Assistance Programme
The Assembly understands that there may be times when you may need independent advice and help coping with personal or work-related issues that may be affecting your ability to work effectively. To help you with these issues, we offer a confidential Welfare Support Service.
We also operate an Employee Assistance Programme which provides free independent and confidential counselling, advice and support for any personal or work-related issues.
Health and Wellbeing
Health and Wellbeing is an important aspect of your working environment within the Assembly. As part of the Assembly Commission’s ongoing commitment to support the health and wellbeing of staff, a number of initiatives are offered, including information sessions on a variety of health and wellbeing topics, workplace health checks, free flu vaccinations and the provision of trained Mental Health First Aiders.
Employer Supported Volunteering
We encourage and support staff to make a positive impact on the wider community through the Employer Supported Volunteering (ESV) scheme. This scheme offers you up to three days volunteering leave per year.
Sustainable Travel Initiatives
The Assembly strives to be a sustainable organisation and, as such, encourages everyone to take part in more sustainable modes of transport.
You will be able to take advantage of the Cycle to Work scheme, and Get Active, which is Translink’s TaxSmart scheme for commuter bus travel and an interest-free loan scheme for annual commuter cards.
There is a bicycle station that has tools for adjusting your wheels and saddle and where you can check your tyre pressure and pump up your tyres—making it easier for you to cycle to work.
We also provide four electronic car-charging points that you can use to charge your electric car during working hours.
Give as You Earn Scheme
The Assembly’s Give As You Earn Scheme enables you to make regular charitable donations through payroll giving. The Scheme is currently promoted by a professional fundraising organisation, the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF).
You can support a charity, or charities, of your choice, provided these are registered charities, by means of regular tax-free donations direct from your pay. CAF Give As You Earn is the most popular payroll giving scheme in the UK, helping over 3,000 companies and 400,000 staff to give nearly £80 million to charity each year.
Professional Subscriptions
The Assembly will pay for your professional subscription fees if you are required to be a member of a professional body directly linked to your role.
If you have any queries or would like any further information in relation to the benefits offered to you as a member of staff for the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission, please do not hesitate to contact Human Resources on 028 90 521446/028 90 521741 or by email at [email protected]
