Working at HI UK

Inclusive recruitment process 

HI UK is committed to diversity and inclusion. We recognise that discrimination shapes the opportunities that many people have in society and that people have different needs in order to realise their full potential. Addressing this requires organisations to be proactive in creating environments that encourage the inclusion and development of all. Though we still have a long way to go, inclusion is central to our identity at HI UK and we are strongly committed to the continuous work that it requires. 

HI UK is proud to be a Disability Confident employer with Level 3 accreditation, a designation awarded to employers that are leaders in inclusion. The Disability Confident scheme is a voluntary scheme that aims to help organisations successfully hire and retain people with disabilities or health conditions. 

HIUK is also proud to be accredited as a Visibly Better Employer which shows our commitment to creating an inclusive, accessible workplace for blind and partially sighted people. 

Diversity

Our vision is to create a diverse charity where everyone feels that they belong and can take pride in the work we do. We value different perspectives that can help us find innovative solutions to our challenges and we want a workforce that represents our communities.  

In support of this, we have the following staff engagement groups and initiatives: 

• Our Diversity & Inclusion team is a group of staff who champion positive change and promote inclusion. They organise talks and activities and run sessions on disability awareness and unconscious bias, including with external speakers. They also organise an annual diversity survey, which collects data from across the organisation to track patterns or trends in our diversity and in staff members’ experiences of inclusion.  This is helpful to improve our policy, process and practices. The group has developed guidelines, for example on creating accessible content and hosting accessible events. Their work helped HI UK achieve Disability Confident Leadership status in July 2023.

• Our Wellbeing team encourages an open culture about mental health. They provide content and activities to promote wellbeing and use a wellbeing survey to influence actions.
  

• Our Social team organises social events to improve engagement and help make HI UK an enjoyable place to work. 

• Our Green team works to raise awareness about living a 'greener' life, designs and implements our Carbon Reduction Plan, and identifies activities to reduce our personal environmental impact.

Our values

Our values represent who we are. They help us bring our best to what we do and to make HI UK a great place to work.

Humanity 
Our work is based on the value of humanity. We include everyone without exception and champion each individual’s right to dignity. Respect, kindness, and humility guide our work. 

Inclusion 
We advocate inclusion and participation for everyone, upholding diversity, fairness, and individual choices. We value difference. 

Commitment 
We are bold in our commitment to developing tailored, pragmatic, and innovative solutions. We take action and rally those around us to fight injustice. 

Integrity 
​​​​​​​We work in an independent, professional, selfless and transparent manner. 

Wellbeing

Wellbeing is one of our top priorities. All staff, especially managers, are encouraged to promote a safe and open culture where colleagues feel comfortable discussing their mental health and are supported in identifying triggers and mitigating stressors. Across the organisation, we try to follow good working practices to reduce work-related stress. In addition, all staff have access to a free and confidential 24-hour Employee Assistance Programme.  

Benefits

We recognise that to have the best – and happiest – employees we need to be an employer of choice, so we focus on flexibility, inclusion, collaboration, health and wellbeing both in and outside of work. We are committed to striving for a happy and healthy working environment and good work/life balance to all our employees. 

We provide a range of benefits to reward your hard work and, we hope, to motivate and support you. 

Annual Leave 

We offer 28 days’ holiday a year plus bank holidays. You can choose to use the religious bank holidays flexibly.  

After 4 years of service, all employees accrue one additional day of annual leave with every completed year of service, up to a maximum of 33 days. 

All employees are entitled to one paid leave day for their birthdays. 

Salary and pay 

We have a fair, equitable and transparent pay policy that we believe is competitive within the sector.  

We always show the salary in our job adverts when we recruit. This practice supports a growing movement that is looking to make the sector a fairer, inclusive and more equitable place with regards to gender and ethnicity pay gaps. 

We are a Living Wage Employer which means we are committed to pay our staff a fair pay. 

Flexible Working 

We want our people to have time away from work to support their different commitments, needs and interests. We encourage a flexible working culture, including options such as home-working, reduced or flexi-hours, compressed and core hours.  

Health and Wellbeing 

Our occupational health and mental wellbeing support are accompanied by online health assessment tools. Our confidential employee assistance programme is available to all to provide support for any concerns in your work or personal life, for ongoing everyday support or for free counselling if you need it. It is a free, 24/7 confidential service that offers expert advice, information and counselling for all HI UK employees. These can cover a wide range of issues, including buying a new home, starting a new job, having children, managing money and much more. 

Savings 

HI UK staff can benefit from a cycle-to-work scheme or an interest free loan to help spread the cost of travel season tickets. We also offer all employees an equipment allowance of up to £70 to support them to establish a healthy and safe working space at home. This can be spent on items such as office furniture or technology. 

Staff also enjoy great benefits in and around our head office in London, with deals at local shops, bars and restaurants through the Star Card. 

Pension 

We offer a competitive workplace pension scheme, matching contributions up to 6% of gross salary  

Life Change Benefits 

• Maternity / Adoption Arrangements 

After working for HI UK for six months, full and part-time employees are entitled to 12 weeks’ full maternity/adoption pay and 12 weeks at 50% pay. All employees, regardless of the length of their employment, are entitled to 39 weeks’ statutory maternity leave. 

• Second Parent / Adoption Arrangements 

After working for HI UK for six months, full and part-time employees are entitled to 2 weeks’ full paternity/second parent/adoption pay and 2 weeks at 50% pay. 

Learning and Development  

Financial support and/or study leave may be offered to individuals who are studying for professional qualifications.  

Safeguarding 

HI UK is committed to promoting a fair and open working environment where all employees are treated with respect and dignity, where no one feels threatened or intimidated for any reason, and where everyone may therefore work effectively to achieve HI UK’s aims. More information can be found in our Code of Conduct (Prevention of Abuse and Safeguarding). 

All applicants must indicate that they have read and understood HI’s safeguarding policies: 

• Child Protection  
• Protection against Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment  
• Anti-Fraud, Bribery, and Corruption  

Misconduct Disclosure Scheme

HI is a member of the inter-agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (MDS). In line with the principles of this scheme when we contact your referees, we request that they provide information in relation to any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment (‘Misconduct’) during the candidate’s employment or any allegations of this kind that were under investigation at the point that the candidate left their organisation.