The benefits of joining Canine Partners does not end at job satisfaction and the opportunity to work with a talented and passionate team of people directly contributing to our mission to change lives. We also offer our employees a comprehensive range of employment benefits.
Our annual leave runs between January and December and full-time members of staff benefit from 33 days annual leave (inclusive of 8 public holidays) – prorated for part-time members of staff and for starters part way through the year. We observe a 'year-end' closure period from the Christmas Day bank holiday through to the New Year, to give our staff the opportunity to rest and refresh for the new year ahead. We recognise employment milestones with our staff and offer additional annual leave days after two, five and ten years service with us (prorated for part time staff).
We encourage our staff to look after both their physical and mental health by taking time to rest and recover from illness and injury. Eligible employees who are absent from work owing to sickness or injury will be entitled to an enhancement to Statutory Sick Pay through our Charity Sick Pay, which increases with length of service.
Our pension scheme providers, Scottish Widows, support eligible employees with either our employer matched pension scheme or salary exchange pension scheme. Matching pension contributes up to a maximum of 5%.
Our fully accessible training centre is situated in the beautiful rural Leicestershire countryside, with free on-site parking for site-based and visiting employees, volunteers, and visitors. We have excellent on-site kitchen and dining facilities, with our partners’ dining room and a kitchenette in our reception area. Which are fully stocked with free tea, coffee, and milk for on-site and visiting staff and volunteers.
We offer a comprehensive Travel and Expenses policy to support staff with local and long distance in the most time and cost-effective way. We also have a small fleet of bookable vehicles for a variety of activities as and when needed.
Arguably one of our most popular on-site benefits is our Pet Dogs at Work scheme that allows employees the opportunity to bring their canine friends into the office. Bringing pets to work has been proven to encourage healthy work-life balance with workplaces having a more relaxed atmosphere, resulting in employees showing fewer signs of stress. We work closely with our corporate sponsors, Nestle Purina Petcare, and are part of their Pets at Work Alliance (PaW). Therefore, we ensure that all aspects of these scheme have been address including dog welfare, legal implications, insurance and health and safety.
Plus, in our rural location we are lucky to have great lunchtime walking spots - a benefit for dog and non-dog owners alike!
To help us support our staff to stay physically, mentally and financially healthy, our employee assistance programme offers a confidential and independent helpline for a range of topics and a comprehensive wellbeing hub full of information and tools; from practical articles and healthy recipes to work-out videos and budget tools, there is something for everyone. For that little bit of extra support, our staff also have access to a number of colleagues who are fully trained Mental Health First Aiders.
We offer a life assurance scheme, via MetLife, where employees can nominate beneficiaries to receive a lump sum equal to 3 x their salary in the event of their death in service. We also partner with Farewill, who provide a straightforward and free will writing service to staff.
As a charity whose focus is people, we value equality of opportunity at all levels and welcome applications which reflect the diverse communities that we are part of. Whatever your age, gender, disability status, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, or family circumstances, we make sure you’re treated with fairness and respect.
To further underline our commitment to equality of opportunity, we have successfully achieved accreditation for the Department of Work and Pensions’ Disability Confident Employer scheme. This demonstrates our commitment to employ, train, retain and develop the careers of employees with disabilities.
"What Canine Partners does is amazing and to do the job I do for a charity like this makes me proud."
Anonymous, Support Services
"[I've] worked for the charity for [years], I still love coming to work just as much as on day one... I love everything about what we do... as well as the incredible team we have."
Anonymous, Operations
"I am very new to the charity and my role, but I am committed and motivated to work hard to help Canine Partners achieve our aims and objectives."
Anonymous, Operations
