The Holidays

Most of our weekly paid roles are contracted to work term time only, which allows staff to be away from Leeds in the University holiday periods. Staff are paid holiday pay and get nice long breaks from work in the University holiday months.  

Full time career staff are allocated 26 holiday days a year to book in when they want to take them, in agreement with their line manager of course 😊. Staff also receive 8 bank holidays and 6.5 closed days on top of this allowance. This includes being closed over the Christmas and new years period which our commercial teams particularly love!

Flexible and Hybrid Working 

All LUU staff have the right to request flexible working providing they meet the government criteria. LUU sees flexible working as an advantage for our employee's as it allows them to work within their energy cycles, as well as giving flexibility for employees who may have family or personal commitments. 

We recognise that there may be times where staff will be more productive whilst working from work whilst eliminating distractions and commuting times. Working from home allows people greater flexibility and control over their lives.  LUU staff can request hybrid working through their managers.

Networks

If you want your time at Leeds to be about making change or supporting one another we offer our staff the opportunity to join our Staff Networks. We currently have three staff networks which are the;  REACH (Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage) Network,  LGBTQ+ Staff Network and the Women's Collective. Take a look here. 

Connect with colleagues  

Our Google connect groups are an informal way to connect with colleagues with similar interests or experiences to you. We have an Arts, Crafts and Projects group that meets regularly over a lunchtime to work on individual projects and have a chat. The Staff Choir meets weekly for a sing-a-long over lunchtime and is open to all staff regardless of experience. 

For more information contact:

Arts, Crafts and Creative Projects - Alison Anthony (a.anthony@leeds.ac.uk)

Staff Choir - Tasha Pickles (t.pickles@leeds.ac.uk) 

LUU Staff Marketplace 

We have set up a Google Chat group where staff who have unwanted items can give them away instead of throwing them out. This is a small, but effective way to contribute towards building a more sustainable future. 

If you are interested in joining this group, please contact Carla Thompson who will add you. We ask that all members read and respect the guidelines of the group which you’ll see in the chat. 

NUS Totum Card 

Want student discounts even when your not a student? As a member of staff you can buy an annual NUS Totum Card and get discounts in loads of online and high street retailers. If you are signing up for a Totum card, you need to use your University of Leeds email address, example: unifyi@leeds.ac.uk 

Your place of study is Leeds University Union and your subject is other. 

Discounts in our Shops and Bars

Staff are eligible for discounts in our Bars, shops and cafes by using their LUU Eats app. . Take a look at how to set up your discount here. 

With a Co-op Membership Card, you can get discounts in store and vouchers for money off products in store. For details on how to obtain a Co-op Card refer to https://www.coop.co.uk/membership 

Discounted Travel Cards 

Career staff are eligible to apply for an MCard. This is a discounted travel pass that you are able to purchase on a yearly basis and then have salary deductions taken from your payroll each month before tax. Contact unihr@leeds.ac.uk for more details. 

Do you cycle to work?

It may be useful to know that there are cycle shelters dotted around campus which are available to staff. If you would like access to a cage, please email bikehub@leeds.ac.uk, so they can arrange a time for you to collect an access card to whichever shelter works for you. Please note that there is a £10 deposit on access cards and fobs. 

We also have showers in LUU for you to freshen up before you start work! 

Mental Health Support 

We have a wide range of mental health support available to staff including access to talking therapy with the Staff counselling and psychological support centre.   

You can read more about the support available on our Mental Heath Support page here. 

Edge Gym Membership 

The edge gym is located on campus, it has a pool, weights a gym, squash courts, badminton courts, a climbing wall and loads of classes. LUU staff are eligible for discounted staff membership. For more details, contact edgemembership@leeds.ac.uk or call 0113 3437406.

Learning and Development 

We believe that it is our responsibility to help staff continue to learn and develop throughout their career.  LUU will support this development through the provision of appropriate resources including time off to attend training and development events, support from line managers and access to information and advice about training and development activities.

We also recognise that there is more to learning than training courses and believe that a whole range of other activities can be a useful source of learning. These include attendance at conferences, reading books and other publications, meeting with people from other organisations, on the job training and e-learning.

Opticians

LUU staff who use Display Screen Equipment for their role (DSE Users) are entitled to a free eye examination. To redeem this employees should email unihr@leeds.ac.uk and request that they would like an eye test. The People Team will then provide you with an eVoucher which you must use at Specsavers. This can be any of the Specsavers stores across the UK. Eye tests can be booked online, over the phone or in person and the eVoucher is to be redeemed upon payment. 

1. Email unihr@leeds.ac.uk  to request an eVoucher, if you are a DSE user (HSE Guidelines) 

2. Book an appointment with Specsavers

3. Use your eVoucher for payment

4. If you do not use the eVoucher please let unihr know

Bright Beginnings Child Care Centre

Bright Beginnings is an award-winning centre providing high quality childcare to students and staff members at the University of Leeds and Leeds University Union. Rated as outstanding by Ofsted, the location is convenient for parents as it is situated on campus. https://www.brightbeginningschildcare.co.uk/