A place to balance your life with your work
We want you to feel healthy, happy, and supported in all aspects of your life. Whether it’s taking time to recharge, looking after your health, or balancing work with personal responsibilities — we’ve got you covered.
Accent colleagues are entitled to 28 days of holiday, plus bank holidays, increasing by 1 day up each year up to 33 (pro rata for part time).
An extra day to celebrate your birthday.
If you need extra time off, you can buy up to two additional weeks of annual leave through salary sacrifice (at your manager’s discretion).
You can also sell up to 3 days annual leave back to us.
For maternity/adoption/shared parental, leave we have:
- 6 weeks at 100%
- 20 weeks at 50% + Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP)
- 13 weeks at SMP
For paternity leave, we provide:
- 2 weeks full pay leave
- 2 weeks unpaid leave
We offer 10 extra days paid medical leave for medical appointments and treatment which are related to a disability, serious diagnosed illness, terminal conditions, fertility treatment, menopause related treatment, and gender reassignment—without the need to work this time back.
There is no one-size fits-all way of working at Accent because a single rule or prescribed ratio that all teams must follow would negatively impact how well we work. That’s why all our teams can discuss and agree appropriate hybrid arrangements with their leaders.
Our priority is always on delivering excellent services that meet the needs and expectations of our customers. But the way teams work also needs to create a positive and motivating work environment, one where all colleagues feel connected and supported, and can collaborate, grow and thrive.
Need support? Our EAP provider offer 24/7 support including virtual and face to face counselling, wellbeing tools and self-help resources and legal and financial support.
A place to be recognised and valued
We know that feeling financially secure is a big part of your overall wellbeing. That’s why we offer smart, flexible benefits that help you make the most of your money and plan for the future.
Pensions
To help you feel secure about your future, we provide two types of pension scheme, so you can select the one that works best for you. Both pension schemes include life insurance cover, giving you the peace of mind of knowing your loved ones will have financial security in the event of your death in service.
7.5% colleague contribution
The Accent Group Pension Scheme is a defined benefit scheme. It gives you a pension based on the average of your pensionable earnings during your membership in the scheme. This is calculated using a fraction of 1/90th of your pensionable pay, known as the accrual rate, which is then revalued in line with inflation.
The revalued pension amounts earned each year are added together to calculate your guaranteed pension at retirement.
There's also the option to salary sacrifice contributions after two years in the scheme.
Only around 4% of defined benefit schemes in the UK are still open to new members.
4% matched colleague contribution
The Social Housing Pension Scheme, also known as SHPS DC, is a defined contribution scheme. It pays contributions into your personal ‘pension pot’, which are then invested in funds selected either by you or an investment manager.
The benefits you get when you retire are flexible and depend on the value of your pot at that time.
Contributions can be made through salary sacrifice so you can take advantage of the National Insurance savings this brings.
How auto-enrolment works
All employers are required to auto-enrol their employees into a pension scheme, although this can be affected by your age and salary.
If you decide not to join our Accent Group Pension Scheme when you start working for us, you’ll be auto-enrolled into the SHPS DC scheme. You can opt out if you prefer, but you won’t get any pension on retirement or have any life insurance cover.
For your peace of mind, we provide life assurance cover at three times your gross annual salary for all colleagues.
Long service awards
Accent is a place to thrive and we recognise our colleagues service at 10 years, 20 years, 25 years and 30 years’ service.
A place to be you, be unique and be Accent
We want you to feel connected, valued, and included at Accent. This is a place where you can be yourself, build great relationships, and make a difference.
Volunteering days
We believe in giving back to the communities we serve, and every colleague is entitled to one paid day per year to volunteer within our communities, whether through an Accent-organised event or a partner organisation. In addition, colleagues are encouraged to support at least one customer engagement event, such as ‘The Big Conversation’, and spend at least one day shadowing a frontline colleague to better understand the work we do.
While volunteering, you’ll still receive your normal pay.
For part-time colleagues, the number of volunteering days you’re offered is calculated pro-rata.
Health and wellbeing
As part of our commitment to supporting the health and wellbeing of our colleagues, we offer a range of benefits designed to make life a little easier and support your wellness.
Book a video or phone consultation with an online GP at a time that suits you, and access free advice, reassurance, diagnosis, private prescriptions and open referrals.
Sign up for our health club membership, and get discounts on your membership at gyms throughout the UK, including PureGym, Nuffield Health, Virgin Active and many more.
Save up to 42% on a bike, e-bike, bike insurance and cycling accessories with our cycle-to-work scheme, Cyclesheme. You won’t have to pay anything upfront either – instead, your payments are taken from your salary.
If you’re a member of the Accent team who uses screens and monitors as part of their work (known as DSE users), we’ll cover the cost of your eye test, and contribute £50 towards the cost of your new frames and lenses.
We’ll contribute up to £10 to the cost of your annual flu vaccination.
A place to grow and thrive
At Accent you can enjoy a learning culture that supports an open mindset, an independent quest for knowledge and shared learning directed towards our mission and goals, our customers, and colleagues.
We actively promote a learning culture to support our colleagues to obtain and maintain the skills, knowledge, and mindset to enable them to own, drive and succeed in their career.
We are committed to the learning and development of our colleagues and all colleagues can look forward to:
- An onboarding induction to their job role, team and Accent
- Access to industry specific training and certification required for job role
- Equal opportunities in all aspects of their development
- A line manager who is committed to colleague development
- Coaching to embed learning, development, and career progression
- Access to online learning resources to support personal development
- Qualified internal coaches, who are members of the Association for Coaching, to support your growth, confidence, and development at work
