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When you work for the Civil Service, we offer a wide range of benefits with you, your family, and your future in mind. Find out more about our excellent employee benefits.
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Benefits

At MHCLG we value our staff and offer a wide range of benefits to employees who work here. Further information can be found below

Flexible working and leave allowance

Find out more about the different flexible working and leave arrangements available.

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We offer a variety of flexible working patterns, including part-time, term-time working, and schemes which allow you to vary your working day.

Flexible working patterns are agreed on a case-by-case basis, and subject to business needs.  

A minimum of 60% of your working time will be spent in the office you’re based in. Attending other offices or off-site meetings, when needed, will count towards this.

Full-time staff work 37 hours per week (7 hours 24 minutes per day). You must take at least a 30 minute lunch break, but the 7 hours 24 minutes can be worked between 7am – 7pm.

If you work full-time, your annual leave entitlement will start at 25 days per year. It increases by one day each year on the anniversary of your start date, up to a maximum of 30 days.

If you work part-time your annual leave will be based on the number of net hours you work per week. 

You’ll get 8 Bank Holidays and 1 privilege day per year.

All pregnant staff are entitled to paid and/or unpaid maternity leave.

Your employment with the Crown is automatically safe and you won’t be dismissed, made redundant or suffer detriment of any kind for any reason connected with your pregnancy or childbirth or for taking paid or unpaid maternity leave.

You’re entitled to take up to 52 weeks statutory maternity leave, regardless of your length of service, or working pattern.

Your maternity leave pay may vary depending on your length of service.

You’re entitled to 12 days paid paternity leave for each child, if you’re the mother’s partner (including unmarried couples and same sex partners), and you have continuous employment for 26 weeks ending with the 15th week before the baby is due.

This also applies if your partner (including unmarried couples and same sex partners) is matched with a child for adoption.

Pay and Reward

Read our answers the most frequently asked questions about pay.

What is the starting salary for my grade and role?

Starting salaries are shown on job adverts.

We offer two different pay ranges, one for London and one National. Roles are advertised at the minimum of the range, unless we’re looking for a specialist skill.

Our pay scales are reviewed annually in line with the Civil Service pay guidance. There are also annual bonus opportunities.

How are specialist skills and experience recognised?

Some specialists are paid on specialist scales and/or receive additional allowances.
Details of any allowances will be published on the job advert.

How is my pay calculated if I am transferring from an 'Other Government Department' (OGD)?

If you are joining on level transfer and your location remains the same (London or National), you’ll stay on your existing salary, as long as it fits with the MHCLG pay scale.

If you are joining on promotion and your location remains the same, you’ll receive a 10% increase on your existing salary, or you’ll move to the minimum of the new pay range, whichever is higher.

If on transfer your basic salary is above the MHCLG maximum, we’ll consider whether the higher pay can continue on a marked time basis, until the MHCLG salary catches up.

What happens to my pay if I change location?

As an MHCLG employee, if you receive approval for a voluntary move to another location, your pay will be re-calculated to put you in the same relative position in the new pay range.

If you’re transferring in from a different government department and are granted a voluntary move to another location, your salary will be calculated in two steps.
1. you’ll be transferred to the MHCLG pay range in the originating pay area.
2. we’ll put you in the same relative position in the new location pay range that you held before.

Changes to salary will be carried out in accordance with MHCLG terms and conditions and the MHCLG contract of employment

Is there a reward and recognition system?

We have an in-year Exceptional Performance Scheme (EPS) which rewards staff who exceed the normal expectations for their role and grade. The scheme includes non-consolidated cash awards and instant reward vouchers. Vouchers are exchangeable at a range of national retail and leisure outlets.

Pension

You’ll be able to join the Civil Service Pension scheme.

We automatically enrol all new starters into the Alpha Pension Scheme, with an average employer contribution of 27%.

Find out more here

Learning and Development

We’re dedicated to the professional development and career satisfaction of our staff.

Our career development framework is designed to support you in every stage of your career. It offers a range of resources and opportunities to meet your needs and aspirations.

What we offer

Tailored career pathways: We’ll help you map out your next steps and strategise for long-term career advancement.

Diverse development resources: benefit from a wide range of career development tools. These include mentorship, coaching, and specialised training. The training covers key areas like digital skills, business sense, and finance.

Engaging career conversations: take part in productive discussions about your career goals and developmental requirements. The conversations help both staff and managers to foster a culture of growth and progression.

Your role in your development

We believe in providing support, but also empowering you to take control of your career development. Whether you’re aiming to progress within the Civil Service or in your professional journey, we are here to support you.

Join us to discover the full potential of your career. Together, we can achieve excellence in public service and community development.

Diversity and Inclusion

MHCLG want to bring in a diverse workforce at all levels. 

We are committed to getting the basics right, but our goal is to be one of the most inclusive and diverse employers.

We aim to achieve this by:

• bringing in diverse talent – through recruitment processes that attract a diverse range of applications, with a focus on parity with the economically active population in the places we work.

• growing diverse talent – through supporting people with disabilities as well as other protected groups.

• building an inclusive culture for all – through analysing diversity data and improving transparency.

You have a right to:

• equality of opportunity in all aspects of employment

• a working environment free from discrimination, harassment, bullying and victimisation.

• a complaints and grievances procedure for dealing with discrimination, harassment, bullying and victimisation in the workplace.

A collection of photo tiles, each containing one staff member holding a hand-written sign. The signs say positive words about the work environment such as: laughter, support, community.

My Lifestyle

MyLifestyle is an employee discount scheme which offers savings galore on a range of products, services, retailers and restaurants.

MyLifestyle also offers a Cycle to Work Scheme, and a Childcare Voucher Scheme to support parents.

Volunteering

Volunteering helps us understand the impact of government policies. It also benefits the organisations we volunteer in and builds important connections.

Civil Servants are encouraged to spend at least 3 days volunteering a year, but we give staff up to 6 days each year!

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