Working in the HPRA
In addition to providing meaningful,
fulfilling and engaging work, where each employee personally contributes to
delivering on the HPRA’s role to protect and enhance human and animal health,
we understand that benefits can also play an important role when it comes to attracting
and retaining skilled and engaged employees. Supported by a culture of open
communication, transparency, and recognition we ensure that our employees have
access to Core, Work-Life Balance, Learning and Development and Health and
Wellbeing Benefits.
Core Benefits
In the HPRA it is important to us that
we support our employees with life events. In light of this, we offer
beneficial leave policies that support life situations that require your
attention outside of the workplace. These include:
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Enhanced Maternity Leave benefit:
The HPRA offers employees enhanced maternity leave benefit (full payment
top-up) during your 26 weeks of maternity leave (i.e. salary less social
welfare payments).
-
Enhanced Adoptive Leave benefit: The
HPRA offers employees enhanced adoptive leave benefit (full payment
top-up) during your 26 weeks of maternity leave (i.e. salary less social
welfare payments).
-
Enhanced Paternity Leave benefit:
The HPRA offers employee enhanced paternity leave benefit (full payment
top-up) during your 2 weeks of paternity leave (i.e. salary less social
welfare payments).
-
Paid Sick Leave/Extended Sick Leave:
The HPRA provides for the payment of financial support to employees during
periods of absence from work due to illness or injury.
-
Flexileave: Employees have the
opportunity to avail of Flexileave/Time off in Lieu in exchange for excess
hours worked.
Pension Scheme: The Single Public
Service Pension Scheme (“Single Scheme”) commenced with effect from 1 January
2013 and applies to all first-time entrants to the Public Service, as well as
to former public servants returning to the public service after a break of more
than 26 weeks. The legislation giving effect to the Scheme is the Public
Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Act 2012.
The Single Public Service Pension Scheme
provides:
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A pension and retirement lump sum
based on career average pensionable remuneration.
-
A facility for early retirement on
medical grounds, subject to certain conditions.
-
A facility for early retirement from
age 55 on cost neutral (actuarially reduced) basis.
-
A death in service benefit of twice
annual pensionable remuneration.
-
Preservation of retirement benefits
which are payable on application at the age a member would be eligible for
the State Pension (Contributory).
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A pension for spouses or civil
partners and for eligible children.
-
Pension indexation in retirement
based on CPI increases.
Work-life Balance
We very much recognise the importance of
life outside of work and the HPRA promotes a healthy work-life balance for all
employees which includes a flexi-time attendance system. We endeavour to
provide flexibility in line with our policies to the greatest extent possible
while ensuring that the needs of the business are met.
We also aim to support employees to
develop their potential to ensure that we have appropriately skilled people to
achieve the strategic goals and objectives. There are periodic internal
communications meetings, departmental team meetings, organisational awareness
sessions as well as regular employee social events and employees are encouraged
to build relationships across the organisation.
Learning and Development
The HPRA is committed to ensuring a
culture of continuous learning which supports a highly motivated dynamic workforce
delivering on our business objectives. It is the policy of the HPRA to
encourage, develop and support employees to undertake relevant further
education outside the working day. Courses of study, which will benefit both
you in your job and the HPRA, may be approved for financial assistance of up to
100% of the cost of the course. We aim to give you the opportunity to acquire
skills and knowledge to perform and take responsibility for your own self
development.
The HPRA understands the mutual value of
learning and developing your capabilities and promotes a culture of learning;
with 70% of development activities focused on experience; 20% focused on
learning from others and 10% on formal courses and reading by educating
managers and staff and providing supporting tools and frameworks.
The HPRA operate a Performance
Development Programme which encourages regular two-way communication between
individuals and managers at all levels in order to promote continuous
improvement for individuals.
In addition, we provide a varied
programme of lunch time learning sessions on non- work related topics. There
are numerous opportunities within teams for employees to act as representatives
on working groups and committees across the organisation and in this way employees
can participate in matters that affect the organisation overall.
Health and Wellbeing Programme
In line with the Department of Health’s
Healthy Ireland Framework, the purpose of this programme is to enable our
employees to increase their control over and improve the factors that affect
their overall health. It is designed to support individuals in acquiring
healthy behaviour patterns, which will lead to an improved state of health and
wellbeing and organisational effectiveness. Some of the initiatives include:
-
Mental Health Awareness initiatives
that have previously included talks facilitated by former Olympic Boxer
Kenneth Egan and Rugby analyst Brent Pope
-
Financial Wellbeing: Seminars and
1-1 financial clinics, covering areas of overall financial wellbeing,
Savings and Budgeting, Managing your money effectively & Retirement
planning
-
Sli Na Slainte: In conjunction with
the Irish Heart Foundation the facilitation of the HPRA Sli@work
initiative
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Lunchtime Yoga & Fitness Classes
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Healthy Eating Cooking and Taste
Demonstrations
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Healthy Eating Month: Provision of
fresh fruit, juices, smoothies, and yogurts
-
VDU Eye Examinations
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Flu Vaccinations
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One-to-one Giraffe Childcare
Consultations
Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
The Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) is an employee support service
designed to support employees resolve any of their personal or work related
concerns, which are having an adverse effect on their physical and emotional well-being, their job, their relationships or their health and well-being.
This service is provided for all
employees and is completely free, confidential, and voluntary. It covers a
variety of issues associated with:
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Relationship issues
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Financial and legal issues
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Balancing work and home life
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Addiction
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Health related problems
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Depression/anxiety/stress
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Child or elder care