Our rewards and benefits
Dive into a new career with Northumbrian Water and Essex & Suffolk Water.

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When you work hard, you should be rewarded.

Our pay and benefits packages are top-notch. We don't have colleagues with over 40 years service for no reason, after all.

Health and Wellbeing Benefits

Company sick pay

We will support you when you’re ill, and offer you appropriate help during your illness and when you return to work.

Physiotherapy

All employees can access our PAM service free of charge which provides specialist advice, diagnosis and treatment from Chartered Physiotherapists.

Eyecare

If you regularly use a computer or display screen as part of your job, we will cover the cost of your eye test.

Discounted medicals

You and your partner can receive a 20% discount on a health assessment with Nuffield Health. It offers a range of tests which will give you a clear understanding of your current state of health, as well as the opportunity to discuss any concerns with experienced health professionals.

Cycle2Work

Our Cycle2Work scheme, in partnership with Halfords, could be just what you need if you’d like a new bike to get fit, have a greener journey to work, or save money on your commute.

Personal accident insurance

If you’re involved in an accident, whether it’s inside or outside of work, you’re covered under our personal accident insurance scheme. Any payment is at the discretion of the insurer and varies depending on the severity of your injuries.

Healthcare scheme

For new employees we provide cover under our Back to Health plan, under which you may be able to access private medical treatment if certain criteria is met. For some of our longer term employees and all PC holders, we provide full Private Medical cover.

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

If you need quick access to face to face or telephone counselling, you can use this service in complete confidence. The EAP is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, where you can speak to trained professionals. Family members living at your address can also use this service.

Lifestyle Benefits

Annual leave

Your annual leave entitlement, and how this increases over time, is outlined in your contract of employment. If you work part-time, your annual leave, Bank Holidays and special Christmas leave will be calculated on a pro-rata basis.

Buying and selling annual leave

Each year you can choose to buy up to five additional days annual leave, or sell up to three days. If you choose to buy more leave, you will save on tax and National Insurance as you are sacrificing part of your gross salary. You can sell annual leave three times a year (February, September and the following February).

Leave for parents

We offer a number of leave options so parents can take time off work to look after a child, including:

  • Maternity and adoption leave
  • Shared parental leave
  • Paternity leave
  • Parental leave.
Long service awards

Reaching 20, 30 or 40 years’ service, with us is a special achievement, so we think it deserves special recognition. We’ll recognise this with a gift and a celebratory lunch for you and a guest.

Salary sacrifice car scheme

Our salary sacrifice car scheme allows you to exchange part of your gross pay for a new, insured, and fully maintained car for up to three years. All major costs are covered, including servicing, maintenance, replacement tyres, insurance, resignation protection, road tax and breakdown cover.

Professional memberships and subscriptions

We recognise that our people need the right tools to do their job. So, if you need membership of a professional body or institution in your role, or it will provide benefit to us as a company, we can refund you for one professional membership per year.

Lifestyle Hub

Discounts and cashback offers

The lifestyle hub is a one stop shop for 1000s of discounts and vouchers, discounted shopping and more from all your favourite retailers. This is where you’ll find:

  • Holiday discounts
  • Holiday insurance
  • Holiday additions
  • Discounted cinema tickets
  • Ad hoc shopping vouchers
  • Discounted/cashback shopping.
Shopping vouchers and reloadable cards

Make your money go further with a large range of monthly deducted discounts from high street retailers and supermarkets. Discounts vary from retailer to retailer.

Passes and discounts

Take advantage of great offers for local attractions such as Alnwick Gardens and Beamish Museum in the north and the Museum of Power in Suffolk.

Free fishing

We offer free fishing to all of our employees at the following locations:

 

Cow Green, Derwent, Fontburn, Grassholme, Hanningfield, Hury, Kielder,

Scaling Dam and Whittle Dene. 

 

Please call 0845 155 0236 or email go.fishing@nwl.co.uk for more details, season dates and any restrictions.

Kielder lodges

Lodge discounts

Receive 15% discount off the brochure price for Kielder lodges. You must make the booking in your name, and stay in the lodge to receive the discount.

Financial Benefits

Company pension scheme

We automatically enrol all new employees into our Defined Contribution pension scheme. You can make contributions of up to 5% of your salary each month, and we will also make a contribution of up to 10%.

Group income protection

If you’re a member of our Defined Contribution pension scheme, you’re covered by our group income protection. This is insurance, designed to provide you with an income for a period of time if you’re absent from work for 52 weeks due to ill-health. The benefits are subject to the terms of the insurance policy, which may be changed from time to time.

Life assurance

We provide a life assurance scheme for you. This pays four times your annual salary to your nominated recipient in the event of your death in service.

Computer loan

If you’re looking to buy a new PC, laptop or tablet, we can give you an interest-free computer loan.

Qualification loan

Your personal development is very important to us and we can offer you an interest-free loan of up to £3,000 if you study towards a qualification that is not a requirement of your role.

Dive into a new career with Northumbrian Water and Essex & Suffolk Water

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