Welcome to Optalis, we think you’ll like it here.

What’s it like to work here? - Our Reward Package

Rewards are those things that you are entitled to as part of your role with us. We offer:

Pay:

• Competitive hourly rates
• Enhanced weekend rates for care and support roles
• We’ll provide your branded uniform if you need one 

Annual Leave

25 days annual leave (pro rata’d) rising by one day for each year you stay with us up to a maximum of 30 days.  Bank holidays are in addition to this.

A pension 

We offer a pension scheme through Scottish Widows. Optalis will make a defined matched contribution of up to 6% on your behalf, alongside your own contribution. We offer salary sacrifice. Paying your pension contributions in this way means that the amount you pay into the pension scheme is taken from your earnings before income tax and NI (National Insurance) contributions are calculated which generates a saving. This will increase your take-home pay, without reducing the total amount that is paid into your pension.

Life Assurance 

Although it’s not something we like to dwell on, you can nominate your loved ones to receive three times your annual salary in the unfortunate event of your death whilst employed with us (subject to eligibility and qualifying criteria).

Flexible Working

We know that it can be challenging to balance all your work life commitments so we’ll work with you to find a work pattern that suits both you and us.

Training and Development 

We place a real emphasis on staff satisfaction and go the extra mile to create an environment that offers the opportunity for personal and professional growth. We are committed to ensuring you have the skills and knowledge needed for your role, as well as opportunities for ongoing professional development and growth.

We will give you all the support you need, whether you are just starting out with us and need support to settle or are ready to take the next step in your career. We offer training and development to help you build your skills, succeed in your job, and focus on what matters most to the people we support. Read more about our training and development. 

Once you’re here, we can support apprenticeships at all levels, whether you’re just starting out or looking for a change of direction. Read about Hannah's experience as an Apprentice at Optalis. 

We will cover the cost of professional membership if it is a requirement for the role.

We listen

Optalis wouldn’t be anything without our people so we listen and hear your voice:

• Through our staff consultative forum, staff reps can feedback your ideas and views  directly to our CEO.
• We also run an annual staff satisfaction survey because we really care about what our employees think. The results inform our plans and priorities.
• We recognise and work proactively with GMB, RCN and Unison Trade Unions.

Our Recognition package

Recognition is about how we say ‘thank you’; here are some other great reasons to join us:

• Have your birthday as a day off (pro rata’d) on us.  We recognise this is a special day for you.
• Wellbeing Day - sometimes people just need a bit of time to re-group.  We give a ‘day’ (pro rata’d) each year for people to do this.
• The health and wellbeing of our people is a priority for us - We offer several initiatives to support our employees mental, physical and financial wellbeing. These include access to an Employee Assistance Programme which gives free confidential legal and financial advice as well as free counselling services. We are a Mindful Employer and a Disability Confident Employer, which means we are serious about looking after our team members’ mental health and providing support to ensure that people with disabilities and long-term health conditions feel supported, engaged, and able to achieve their full potential in the workplace.
• Upon joining, you’ll get access to Perkbox – a platform that provides a range of benefits, discounts, recognition tools and wellbeing resources.
• Working for us, you’ll be eligible to purchase a Blue Light Card (£4.99 for 2 years) – Blue Light is the UK’s leading discount service for those working in the emergency services, NHS, social care sector, teaching community and armed forces.
• STAR celebrations – A yearly opportunity to recognise team members by team members.  We celebrate those who have gone above and beyond with an afternoon of appreciation and celebration.
• Long Service – Key service milestones are recognised with pin badges and thank you cards.  A special occasion ceremony is usually held in service to recognise these achievements.  We recognise and value long term commitment to making Optalis the success it is.
• We think you’ll like us so much, you’ll want to recommend us to your friends and family via our Refer a Friend programme. If you refer someone to work for us and they pass probation, you can claim £300 (subject to normal deductions).

Want to find out more?

We are always happy to hear from potential new colleagues. You can check out our current vacancies by viewing our roles. Or if you would like to get in touch directly, call our Resourcing Specialists on 0118 977 8600 or email alison.reeves@optalis.org.