First Class Benefits and Rewards

As a member of our Final Salary Pension Scheme, you receive:

• Benefits that are based on your Final Pay – or previous two years if higher
• A monthly pension when you retire that is index linked so it doesn’t depreciate
• A tax-free lump sum when you retire
• A pension and lump sum if you become too ill to work.

If you earn enough to pay tax and National Insurance, you’ll also:

• Pay lower national insurance contributions each month
• Pay less tax each month.

Your family or other beneficiaries will receive:

• Three times your gross salary in the event of your death
• A pension for your spouse, civil partner or nominated cohabiting partner
• Pensions for your dependant children if they are under the age of 18 or under 23 in continuing education.

All annual leave is well above the statutory minimum and increases after five years’ service.

The occupational sick pay you receive is above and beyond the statutory sick pay provisions.

The occupational maternity and adoptive pay that you receive is above and beyond the statutory provision. It’s important to us that we support you as much as we can at such an important time.

You can buy up to five days’ extra annual leave entitlement or sell up to five days’ of your annual leave entitlement each year. Subject to Line Manager approval.

Flexi-time allows you to take up to one extra day off per month provided that you’ve accrued enough hours and have Line Manager approval. It’s really handy for those times when you need to come in a little later or you need to leave work early.

We were one of the first local organisations to allow all employees the opportunity to request flexible working, subject to business needs and Line Manager approval. We now have a large number of people enjoying a much better work/life balance as a result.

We are pleased to be able to offer our staff a 35-minute treatment at a subsidised cost. Choose from:

• Reflexology
• Acupressure
• Indian head massage
• Face, neck and shoulder massage
• Hand and leg massage
• Back massage.

New Charter has been supporting and promoting the provision of childcare vouchers for years. The value of the vouchers is taken off your wages before you pay tax and National Insurance.

New Charter provides free access to the internet for you in non-working time.

We all know the virtues of drinking more water, so we’ve placed water machines in all the kitchen areas. Still or sparkling - the choice is yours!

There are times when personal or work related issues can preoccupy your mind to the point where your work starts to suffer. This is why we provide a facility where you can access a professional and confidential counselling service.

The Company will provide an eye test every two years through Specsavers Optician’s. Employees must ask Human Resources for a corporate eye care voucher which they can exchange at the appointment which will pay for the eye test and a pair of glasses specifically for VDU use.

Ever felt like kicking the habit? Well, we’re right behind you. We support the NHS Smoking Cessation Programme and will refund any prescription charges associated with smoking cessation.

Why not save a bit of cash on your DIY purchases and see what you can get at a discounted rate from our New Charter Building Company!

We’ve always taken a proactive approach to managing health and well-being so it makes sense to us to offer periodic health screening at a subsidised cost. You can even attend during working hours. A qualified nurse carries out the screening and each session involves: height/weight, body mass index, cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar measurement.

Make saving for Christmas as easy as possible by joining the Asda savings club. Nothing could be simpler, a deduction is made from your wages each month and in December, just when you need them the most, you’ll receive the vouchers, plus interest!

If you’ve ever fancied learning something our new Learning Centre could help. It delivers a diverse range of courses and can respond to individual requests. It operates only to cover the costs of the training provided and is even open to family members. We can offer courses varying from yoga, pilates and tai chi to photography, Spanish, French, and even flower arranging.

We’ve been operating the Government’s Cycle to Work Scheme since 2006 and it’s a great opportunity to save money on the purchase of a bike if you’ve been thinking of getting fit and cycling to work.

Did you know that the Payroll Department could actually help to save you time and make life that little bit easier? Did you know that you could:

• Have rent deducted from your wages (if you’re a tenant)
• Have council tax deducted from your wages (if you live in Tameside)
• Have money transferred into a savings account of your choice
• Have money deducted directly from your wages to pay for Asda vouchers, Healthsure payments, Trades Union subscriptions and charity donations.

We love Christmas at New Charter, so we’ve tried to make it really special for you and your family. Examples of things we have done include:

• Provided a non-contractual Christmas bonus to say ‘thank you’ for all your hard work over the year
• Putting on a pantomime for you to attend with your children
• Organised a carol service during the run up to Christmas to get you into the Christmas spirit
• Provided you with at least two additional days’ holiday over the Christmas break, which you don’t have to take from your own holiday entitlement. This way you have an extra long break with your family. We even close the offices at midday on Christmas Eve
• Organised a Christmas party on the last Friday before Christmas where everything’s free – the ticket, the food, the drinks, the DJ!