Staff Benefits

SCRA recognises that its employees are its most valuable asset and we strive to be an employer of choice. We are committed to providing good terms and conditions of employment for all staff – details are available below.

Work-Life Balance:

Hours of Work

The normal working week is 35 hours, normally worked 09:00-17:00 hours, Monday – Friday. If you are applying for a part-time job, you will usually be advised of the hours and any unusual work pattern in the advert. Further details can be found by contacting the relevant recruitment telephone number on the advert.

Flexible Working Hours

SCRA operates a generous Flexible Working Hour Scheme. Core times are from 10:00-12:00 hours and 14:30-16:00 hours, with flexible working hours between 07:30-10:00 hours, 12:00-14:30 hours (a maximum of 2 hours may be taken for lunch), and 16:00-18:30 hours. Subject to operational requirements, employees have the facility to take up to 2 days flexi-leave in any 4 week period. This will be pro-rated if you work part-time.

Generous Leave Entitlements

Our leave year runs from 1 January to 31 December. Annual leave starts at 25 days and increases to 30 days after 5 years and 30 days after 10 years service. We may recognise previous service. Leave for part-time staff is pro-rated to hours worked. In addition, there are 13 days public holiday per annum, of which a minimum of 8 are fixed (depends on your Locality). That means new employees receive a minimum of 38 days leave a year.

Flexible Working Policy

This scheme is available to all SCRA staff. SCRA supports flexible working and understands that it makes good business sense to fully consider requests for flexible and alternative working practices as this can lead to a retention of skilled and experienced staff and high levels of staff morale.

Special Leave Policy

There are a number of other occasions when SCRA will support paid absence from work and specific details can be found in the Special Leave Policy. SCRA have a range of other work life balance initiatives including:

Job Sharing & Part-time Working Policies
Maternity Leave Provisions
Adoption Leave Provisions
Paternity Leave Provisions
Parental Leave Policy
Dependant Care Leave Policy
Career Break Policy
Shared Parental Leave
Bereavement Leave
Disability Leave

Conditions:

Competitive Salary

SCRA aims to ensure that the salaries we offer are competitive in equivalent markets. We have recently undergone a Pay and Grading review to ensure our salaries achieve these aims. Our policy on appointment is that staff are normally placed at the bottom of the pay scale.

Pay Progression

SCRA’s rewards strategy is aligned with the Scottish Government’s Pay Policy Guidance, which is published annually. SCRA’s implementation date for any changes to pay is 1st April in each year. Where incremental progression is being awarded as part of an agreed pay offer, individuals will move to the next step in their grade if they have been in post prior to 31st December of the previous calendar year and where satisfactory performance has been assessed through SCRA’s Supervision and Appraisal Schemes.

Method of Salary Payment

We pay staff monthly by credit transfer to bank or building society on the 15th of each month.

Career Average Pension Scheme

SCRA operates a Career Average Pension Scheme. The Local Government Superannuation Scheme is administered on SCRA’s behalf by Falkirk Council. Benefits include:

Members of the LGPS will contribute between 5.5% and 11.2% and SCRA currently contribute 20.6% of your salary on your behalf
Pension & Tax free lump sum on retiral
Death benefits if applicable
Widow/children’s pension, if applicable.
If you elect to use this scheme, Falkirk Council will contact you shortly after you start with SCRA to ask you if you wish to transfer your pension if eligible. If you need advice prior to this, please contact Falkirk Council pensions on 01324 506070.

SCRA’s normal retirement age is currently 65 years of age. Staff may request to work beyond 65 and SCRA will consider this.

Employee Relations

SCRA operates in a collective bargaining framework. Unison is the recognised trade union.

General Transport Costs

Where an individual has to use public transport or their own vehicle for business purposes they will receive re-imbursement for all associated costs in line with our Travel Policy. If you are deemed to be an Essential Car User you will receive an annual allowance of £825 which is paid in 12 equal monthly installments.

Relocation Expenses

New employees appointed on a permanent basis may be entitled to financial assistance if they are obliged to move home in order to take up appointment with SCRA. The maximum limit of financial assistance is £5000. Expenses covered by the scheme include legal costs, removal costs, travel and temporary accommodation costs.

Childcare Vouchers Scheme

SCRA operates a Childcare Vouchers scheme in partnership with Edenred and is available to existing employees who joined SCRA before April 2018. Childcare Vouchers can be used to pay for most types of childcare. The vouchers are non-taxable, exempt from National Insurance Contributions and participants can purchase vouchers up to the value of £243 per month through salary sacrifice.

As an alternative, new employees can apply for the Government run tax free childcare voucher scheme which is available to all eligible working parents.

Recognised Service

SCRA recognises continuous service in line with the Redundancy Payments (Continuity of Employment in Local Government, etc) (Modification) Order 1999.

Agile Working

The approach where both managers and employees can explore ways to work differently which can positively benefit SCRA and employees in the use of office spaces and the way employees can deliver their roles in an agile way.

Health and Welfare:

Employee Assistance Programme

We understand that life is not simple and it often helps to have someone with whom you can talk through work or home issues. To support this, we offer staff and their immediate family members access to a free ‘Employee Assistance Programme’, which is provided by an independent company. It operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and offers professional counselling, advice and information on a range of issues.

Health and Safety

SCRA is committed to achieving the highest possible standards of occupational health, safety and welfare. We aim to have a proportionate, meaningful and reasonable system for managing risk and recognise that statutory obligations provide a minimum standard.

Smoking Policy

A no smoking policy is observed at all SCRA offices.

Eye and Eyesight Test Policy

We will contribute £60 to any spectacles required for you to work with computer screens.

Sickness

All employees are entitled to the following generous sickness allowance:

Entitlement
Service	Full Pay	Half Pay
Less than 1 year	5 weeks	5 weeks
1 year but less than 2 years	9 weeks	9 weeks
2 years but less than 3 years	18 weeks	18 weeks
3 years but less than 5 years	22 weeks	22 weeks
5 years or more	26 weeks	26 weeks

SCRA operates a comprehensive Sickness Management Policy, which aims to support and help individuals experiencing illness and during their return to work. We are supported in this by access to Occupational Health specialists.

Learning and Development

SCRA offers a wide range of courses to staff which are delivered using a variety of methods including in-house, e-learning and the use of external providers.

Recruitment

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