Dialogue magazine catches up with Robin Donald, Assistant HR Director for Reward and Recognition, on the latest benefits and offers that are open to all members of staff on a University contract.
Welcome to Durham, Robin! How are you finding it so far?
Robin: “Thank you! Durham is a great place to work and there are some fantastic benefits that come with working here. I’ve found colleagues really welcoming and I am especially proud that we embrace volunteering with local community partnerships and organisations.”
Robin Donald, Assistant HR Director for Reward and Recognition
Are you able to tell us about some of the projects you have been working on since you arrived?
“Pay, reward and recognition covers quite a large remit and is always very topical. While it’s important that we have an offering that attracts candidates to Durham, retention is equally important, so I’ve been spending some of my time looking at what works well and what we can do differently to retain and recognise talented colleagues. The current job market is challenging, so I’ll focus more on the areas where we’re able to make an impact quickly. Expectations have changed and flexibility and choice in what we can offer is an increasingly important consideration.
“Everyone I’ve met so far has been full of ideas on how we can make improvements. For example, colleagues told me that reward and benefit information was difficult to access or in many different places, so one of the priorities for the team over the last few months has been the development of a Reward Hub so everything relating to pay, reward and recognition is at your fingertips. This will continue to evolve over the next few months, but colleagues should see improvements almost immediately.
“Another area of focus for my team has been on colleague recognition. We’ve been involved in the launch of the staff awards for Professional Services. There have been over 300 nominations and so it’s great to see how many people have taken the time to nominate and recognise deserving colleagues who are making a difference.
“We also see the welcome return of our Long-Service Awards at Durham Castle on 13 December which were paused during the pandemic. Some colleagues are reaching 25 and even 40 years’ service, which is just amazing. It’s really important that we take the time to celebrate this and recognise the dedication they’ve given the University over the years.
“How we pay and reward our staff is especially important and we have established some good processes at Durham but I will be looking at what we can do differently. For example, we’re about to introduce a new process which places greater emphasis on staff that have been at the top point of their grade for several years. It’s been useful talking to leadership teams across the University and hearing about the specific challenges they have attracting and retaining talent and this will inform future plans.“
Screenshot of the Reward Hub
Is there anything on the Reward Hub that will help staff make their money go further in the current climate?
“Rising prices have affected us all and the cost of living has grown significantly this year due largely to soaring food and energy costs making transport, heating and other everyday essentials much more expensive. The new Hub includes a Financial Wellbeing and Cost of Living section with a checklist of saving ideas and organisations that can help if you feel you’re struggling. We’ve signposted lots of guidance that’s freely available such as Help for Households if you’re uncertain what support is available for energy costs or the MoneyHelper service that contains lots of useful guidance and budgeting tools. We hope you find it helpful and gain a few ideas. We’re also planning to launch financial education sessions in the new year.
“Colleagues might also find it helpful to browse the Employee Benefits page to see what they could be missing out on. Our main benefits have been categorised to make it easier for you to search and there’s something for everyone. I would remind staff to check this page before making any essential or larger purchases. From food to school uniforms or electrical items, the savings you could make are better staying in your pocket.
“We also offer some options through salary sacrifice arrangements, such as our Cycle to Work Scheme. Not only do you save on tax and national insurance it is in effect an interest-free loan to help spread the cost. I’m always keen to hear from colleagues on what else we could offer that they’d really value.”
Screenshot of the Reward Hub
With Christmas around the corner, do you have any tips for helping with the added costs for many in December?
“If you haven’t yet registered for My Durham discounts there is no better time to do so with Christmas coming up. Colleagues can save on the cost of gifts or essential purchases by purchasing them with eVouchers or pre-loaded cards. For example, you could save 6% on any electrical gifts that you buy at Currys PC World. That’s nearly £20 off the cost of an XBox for gaming fans. You can also give the discounted eVouchers as gifts.
“By purchasing supermarket vouchers in advance, you can cut down on the cost of festive food and drinks by 5% at Sainsbury’s or Morrisons or 4% at Asda or Tesco. They can usually be used in conjunction with other coupons that arrive in the post from loyalty card schemes such as Nectar so you make double savings. And I fill my car up with fuel at Morrisons using eVouchers to save up to 10p per litre.”