Being you at BNU
BNU BENEFITS
We value our people as our greatest asset. At BNU, we reward and recognise them to create a culture where they thrive.
We offer a wide range of health, wellbeing and financial benefits, along with encouraging our people to make a positive difference to the environment and local community.
BEING YOU AT BNU
At BNU, we want you to feel valued as a person not just an employee, and we aim to facilitate a work/life balance that supports you to look after your health and wellbeing and your family.
Welcoming everyone and ‘Being you at BNU’ is important to us. Our diverse community helps make working here inspiring, fun and creative. BNU has a proud history of valuing the importance of inclusion and we will continue to play our part to challenge inequality and build a fairer society.
Our strategic approach helps us to learn and develop. We also have several national accreditations and pledges. You can find more details here.
Equality, diversity and inclusion is a key part of our Thrive 2028 strategy. Our Behaviour Framework supports our DRIVE values: Dynamic, Responsible, Inclusive, Visionary and Empowering. This underpins how we respect and value others and champion an inclusive community that transforms lives.
INCLUSION PASSPORTS
Our Being You Inclusion Passports enable staff and students to communicate information about their identity and individual needs so that they can be supported to thrive and feel included. The passport can be shared electronically and hyperlinked in an email signature. It can also be stored in a wallet or lanyard, which can be particularly useful for staff who may need support in-person and may be unable to communicate their needs in the moment. You can complete and update this at any time and discuss with your line manager and colleagues to support your individual needs and wellbeing.
NETWORKS
We have a Staff Association, Employee Forum, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and a Race Equality Network, and hold events and training to raise awareness and particularly encourage input from voices that can sometimes be marginalised or unheard. We are also home to the Being You Network, with various special interest groups in the Higher Education sector, such as working-class leaders, neurodivergent colleagues and those with caring responsibilities.
For more information about our networks, or to join them, please visit our website or email equalities@bnu.ac.uk.
STAFF ASSOCIATION
All employees are automatically members of the Staff Association which arranges informal opportunities for colleagues to get together throughout the year and meet others across the University. Employees can also apply for Staff Association grants to help meet the cost of events that are open to everyone across the University.
CONSULTATION
We have several ways of consulting with our people to seek feedback about your experiences of working at BNU, turning the knowledge into action for positive change with the aim of making BNU a great place to work, including an employee forum and regular surveys.
The Vice-Chancellor also holds ‘open house’ meetings to share news and offer further opportunities for questions, comments and suggestions.
SETTLING IN
All new employees are invited to attend an induction, which is an opportunity to an overview of the University strategy and plans, to meet the Vice-Chancellor, other members of the University Executive Team (UET), and a chance for you to meet other colleagues new to the University.
School and Directorate inductions help employees get up to speed with their new roles, and e-learning modules explain more about important things including health & safety, equality, diversity, inclusion, and data protection.
All new employees are teamed up with a buddy with whom they meet regularly to provide support in their first year at BNU, and help them settle into their new role. The induction buddy guide can be found here
WORK/LIFE BALANCE
HOLIDAY ENTITLEMENT
We have generous annual leave benefits at BNU, with a minimum of 30 days for professional service employees and up to 35 days for academics (excluding bank holidays and pro rata for part time employees). In addition the University is closed for most employees for at least four days over the Christmas period, depending on where Christmas and New Year’s Day falls.
DYNAMIC WORKING
BNU currently has dynamic working which is a flexible arrangement. We recognise that many of our employees have other roles that sit alongside their work and we encourage balance between lives at work and home. We respect our employees and trust them to be able to self-manage their work. These arrangements are agreed locally based on the function and business needs of each area. Please refer to our FAQs on BEN for further information.
VOLUNTEERING
The University is committed to supporting its people to do Voluntary Work within the local community or for charities. This is a fantastic opportunity to develop their skills and experience, and build on our relationships with the local community. Employees receive two paid days each year for voluntary work. For more information please refer to our Employee Handbook and the volunteering page on BEN.
FAMILY LEAVE
We offer generous leave entitlements to support a good balance of work and home life, whether you are moving house, studying, becoming a parent or guardian, juggling work and caring responsibilities, coping with illness or injury, or dealing with family emergencies or bereavement. Further details can be found in our Employee Handbook.
WELLBEING
GATEWAY GYM
Our on site Gateway Gym is fully equipped and is available at discounted rates for our employees. Fully qualified, experienced fitness coaches are on hand to assist and develop personalised training programmes. The Gateway gym also offers free sports and recreation sessions for staff.
EYE TESTS
Subsidised eye tests and a contribution towards the cost of glasses are available to staff whose role involves working with computers.
FLU JABS
Employees can request a flu jab either via the NHS (if eligible) or through their local pharmacy. All employees can claim the cost of a flu jab through expenses (if applicable).
FINANCIAL WELLBEING
BNU currently offers financial wellbeing sessions from time to time free of charge.
We also offer access to various discounts through Totum and Vivup (see page 13) and financial and debt advice through our Employee Assistance Programme. See below
EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME
The University offers a free and confidential 24/7 Employee Assistance Helpline The helpline offers advice on work-life balance, relationships, childcare information, advice on managing debt, how to cope with stress, and financial and legal advice. They also offer counselling to employees - this can be online, on the phone or face to face. You can read about the support available on BEN.
THE SANCTUARY
The Multi-Faith Chaplaincy provides a prayer/quiet room (The Sanctuary) at each campus for quiet reflection, meditation and prayer for those of any faith or none.
MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING AND SUPPORT
From time to time and depending on demand, we run tailored sessions. Previous topics have included Imposter Syndrome and Speaking Up. We also offer bitesize e-learning sessions on various topics to support your own health and wellbeing and that of your colleagues.
CAREER AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
We believe that continuing professional development is paramount for our people’s success.
We offer a wide range of learning and development opportunities throughout the employee lifecycle. All substantive BNU employees participate in both the probation and performance development review (PDR) processes, whereby you have the opportunity to discuss and record your learning & development needs and career aspirations with your line manager. BNU offers a range of development opportunities, from formal training courses, conferences and apprenticeships to coaching & mentoring, work shadowing as well as fully funded access to a broad portfolio of eLearning modules which includes mandatory training, aimed to support your continued professional development. BNU is a levy playing employer and as such can access its levy find to offer apprenticeships for both new and existing employees. Further details can be found here. In addition, employees have access to part-time qualifications offered here at BNU, including teaching qualifications and Research Degrees, for which a fee waiver applies (if relevant to your role).
For managers and aspiring managers, we run an in-house Management Development Programme, and offer a variety of bitesize e-learning modules, and a management toolkit.
There are promotion schemes in place for academic and professional services employees to empower you to progress your career.
STAFF DISCOUNTS
VIVUP
We offer lifestyle savings through Vivup to give you little extra support affording life’s essentials. Whether you’re looking to update your home and garden, shrink your supermarket shopping bill or keep your family entertained for less, save money on the things that matter.
Vivup is our bespoke employee benefits platform that offers a wide range of discounts at a number of retailers.
To access these savings, register or sign up via vivup.co.uk. For more information on how to register please visit this BEN article
TOTUM
As a BNU employee you can also purchase a TOTUM Card, which offers a range of discounts in fashion, tech/mobile, travel, food and drink and more.
TOTUM cards can be purchased online at cards.totum.com/join or through the app and ensure you apply using Bucks Students’ Union as the organisation, and not Buckinghamshire New University.
For more details, go to totum.com
DISCOUNT ON TUITION FEES FOR CHILDREN OF STAFF
We offer a 30% discount to children of University staff members for undergraduate taught, fulltime and part-time study. The terms and eligibility criteria can be found here.
STUDENTS’ UNION
Staff can take advantage of the great value food, drink and entertainment available at The Lounge and The Venue
TRAVEL
FREE TRAVEL BETWEEN CAMPUSES
In partnership with Bucks Students’ Union, we offer all employees a free, door-to-door bus service for students and staff between the High Wycombe and Uxbridge Campuses.
CYCLE2WORK SCHEME
All employees are encouraged to enjoy the health benefits of cycling to work. Secure, covered bicycle shelters, lockers and showers are available at High Wycombe and Uxbridge Campuses for walkers, runners and cyclists. We offer a cycle to work scheme at the University, and further details are available on our internal site BEN, under HR Rewards & Benefits
SEASON TICKET LOAN
The University offers interest free season ticket loan for rail and bus travel to work for employees. For further information this can be found on our internal site BEN, under Payroll
CAR PARKING
Please contact parkingpermits@bnu.ac.uk for details of parking options, including blue badge or special eligibility parking.
CO-WHEELS
The University car club, in partnership with Commonwheels, provides a pool car free of charge for the use of employees during business hours and easy access hire vehicles for employees and students outside business hours. The club is free to join, and employees and students can become members simply by applying online after which a licence check is completed and smartcard issued, which is used to access the cars. The cars can then be booked online or by phone, at short notice.
The club operates a simple system. Between the hours of 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday, the BNU car can be used free of charge for business use by University employees. At any time outside these hours, the cars will be based on the High Wycombe campus and can be hired by employees and students aged 18+ for personal use. Full details can be found on co-wheels.org.uk or via email.
ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITMENT
RECOGNITION
We are committed to recognising and rewarding our people, and to thanking them for their efforts and hard work.
Our Employee Recognition Scheme encourages colleagues to say thank you to those whom have gone over and above in their roles and champion the BNU Values. We also celebrate our people’s achievements and successes at events throughout the year, including the annual BNU Impact Awards at which we recognise excellence across our University community.
HIGHFIVE
In 2020 we decided to make recognition even more accessible, visible and impactful. With the changes in working practices and the need for visibility of what great things colleagues are doing across the University, we moved our recognition scheme online using the Highfive recognition and reward application.
Highfive is an App-based solution through which you can search for and recognise a colleague against one of our core values of Dynamic, Responsible, Inclusive, Visionary and Empowering (D.R.I.V.E.) via the HighFive App on your smartphone. To download the secure App for our University, simply click on the appropriate App store icon and you will be taken to the HighFive application.
More information on Highfive and how to activate the app can be found on our BEN Recognition page
PENSION
PENSION SCHEMES
The majority of University staff are eligible to join one of two main defined benefits pension schemes:
• The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) for professional service employees.
• The Teacher’s Pension Scheme (TPS) for academic employees.
Both schemes offer generous employer contributions, life cover, provisions for ill-health retirement and guaranteed retirement and family benefits. Please note membership in the applicable scheme may be automatic unless you elect to opt-out.
Further details about each scheme can be accessed via this link on BEN
The University also offers the option for staff to join a defined contribution pension scheme:
• The Scottish Widows – Defined Contribution pension scheme.
High Wycombe Campus
Queen Alexandra Road
High Wycombe
Buckinghamshire HP11 2JZ
Aylesbury Campus
59 Walton Street
Aylesbury
Buckinghamshire HP21 7QG
Uxbridge Campus
106 Oxford Road
Uxbridge
Middlesex UB8 1NA
Telephone: 01494 522 141
Email: advice@bnu.ac.uk
Pinewood Studios
Pinewood Road
Iver Heath
Buckinghamshire SL0 0NH
Missenden Abbey
London Road
Great Missenden
Buckinghamshire HP16 0BD