Colleague Benefits & Wellbeing

We offer a wide range of colleague benefits and aim for these to be as inclusive and easy to access as possible. A number of these benefits involve interest-free borrowing from our co-op, i.e. either through a direct loan to the colleague or through an arrangement whereby our co-op is responsible for the initial outlay of costs to a third party. These include the following schemes:

• Cycle to Work via salary sacrifice or net deduction (via Your Benefits Gateway)
• EV Charging Point Loan
• Rental Loan Deposit
• SmartTech (via Your Benefits Gateway)

To ensure responsible borrowing and lending for colleagues and our co-op alike, we will support participation in those schemes based on a number of criteria:

• You must have 6 months’ service at our co-op (and successfully completed any probationary period).
• You must not have a projected end of employment date within 6 months of an application.
• You must not be absent from work at the time of an application or have a planned period of absence within 6 months of an application. This includes all absence types (other than planned holiday), including sickness and family leave.
• Your total borrowing (i.e. against one or a number of the above schemes) at any point in time must not exceed 70% of your gross basic 4-weekly pay.
  • For example, if you earn £1,500 gross basic pay each pay period, you will be able to participate in the schemes (i.e. ‘borrow’) up to a maximum of £1,050. 
  • You may apply to participate in further schemes as your total level of borrowing reduces. For example, if you have taken a rental deposit loan equal to your borrowing limit of £1,050 and you have since repaid £485 of this loan, you would then be able to apply to participate in another relevant scheme up to the value of £485.
  • However, you may only have one loan from each benefit scheme at the same time, e.g. you must fully repay a Rental Deposit Loan before applying for another Rental Deposit Loan. This is the case for all above the schemes, except for SmartTech (but this will still be subject to the overall 70% gross basic 4-weekly pay limit).
  • Where possible, we will make clear the maximum level of borrowing available. However, this will not usually account for any existing participation in other schemes (see below point regarding application assessment by the People Team).
• If approved, the individual terms and arrangements for that scheme will be confirmed to you in writing (or will be as advised during the course of your application).
• If any loan or benefit has been used or partly used for any purpose other than which it was intended, our co-op reserves the right to partially or fully recover the balance owed from your pay in the next available pay period.
• Our co-op will also assess your eligibility based on any other relevant terms of a scheme. For example, a salary-sacrifice Cycle to Work application will require an assessment of your earnings in relation to National Minimum Wage.

To administer the above, the People Team will be required to manually review scheme applications. At our discretion, we may consider other payroll details (e.g. other deductions, like court orders) when deciding whether to approve your application. The overall and final decision whether to approve your application and in relation to the amount advanced through the above schemes is at the total discretion of our co-op.

If approved, how are repayments administered?

Repayments will typically be recovered from a colleague’s pay over 12 pay periods via net deductions and therefore, these will usually occur over an 11 or 12 calendar month period. Our Cycle to Work schemes operates over 13 pay periods (12 months) and will be administered via either a salary sacrifice or net deduction arrangement.

Should a colleague wish to make an ‘overpayment’, they are requested to contact the People Team to discuss this. However, as these arrangements are interest-free, the colleague should consider whether this is in their best interests.

If a colleague moves to statutory pay only (e.g. due to sickness absence or family leave) during the repayment period, they should contact the People Team to discuss repayment options.

Should a colleague’s employment be terminated (for any reason) prior to full repayment, then they will be required to repay the outstanding balance in full, which will be deducted wherever possible from their final pay. If we are unable to recover the entire balance from their final pay, they will be contacted to make alternative arrangements to repay our co-op.

Are loans available to colleagues for anything else?

Our co-op does not offer loans in any other scenarios. For the avoidance of doubt, our co-op cannot offer loans and repayment plans against items purchased by colleagues outside of the above schemes. Colleagues may have access to other types of financial support as outlined later in this section.

Our colleagues work hard all year round so we want them to have a great time at their Christmas Party. Therefore, we’ll contribute £15 towards your place at your team’s event. Christmas parties are arranged locally amongst your individual workplace and / or team, and the supporting process and arrangements are communicated in advance. If you don’t celebrate Christmas, we hope you’re still able to enjoy the occasion as an opportunity to celebrate your individual and team achievements during the year. Have a chat with your line manager about the arrangements for your team’s event.

We’re proud to support the Government’s Cycle to Work initiative, which aims to promote healthier living and a reduction in pollution. The Cycle to Work scheme means that, via a partnership with Halfords, you can purchase a brand new bike up to the value of £750 (including any accessories) and save up to 42%!

How do I pay for the bike?

Your contributions are administered via the 4-weekly payroll by ‘Smartpay’. Smartpay is a salary-sacrifice arrangement where you exchange some of your gross basic salary for a contribution towards your bike. This is more tax efficient as you won’t pay National Insurance on the sacrificed amount.

Due to HMRC rules, you cannot participate in Smartpay if the reduction would take your basic salary below a certain threshold. Therefore, we also offer the option to participate via net deduction instead. As these repayments are made after tax deductions, you won’t achieve the savings listed above – but it would enable you to own a bike and repay it over a year, interest-free, so may still be an attractive benefit for some of our colleagues.

How long does it take to pay the bike off?

Your contributions will be administered via payroll over 12 months (13 paydays). If you are participating via SmartPay, we are technically hiring the bike to you during this 12-month period. There are HMRC rules surrounding the scheme, which also govern what happens at the end of this initial hire period, so Halfords will contact you in advance with the ongoing options available to you. This includes a ‘Managed Extended Hire’ option whereby you continue to hire the bike for a further 4-5 years at no additional cost until the value of the bike becomes negligible.

If you are participating via net deduction, these rules do not apply as you are not making the same tax savings. Therefore, you are the legal owner of the bike and, once you have fully repaid the balance, there are no ongoing restrictions or agreements in place.

How do I apply?

Our Cycle to Work scheme is open all year round, so it’s there for our colleagues when they need it. Colleagues can apply for Cycle to Work via Your Benefits Gateway, where FAQs and full scheme terms and conditions are available.

In the sad event that a colleague dies whilst they are employed by us, we will pay a death in service benefit equivalent to three times their annual salary to their spouse or dependent(s). Annual salary in this instance is based upon the normal weekly rate of pay at the date of the colleague’s death, excluding any additional payments. Colleagues can let us know their nominated beneficiaries’ details via Zellis Employee Self Service (Your Benefits > Death in Service Beneficiaries). This information will be considered when determining how the benefit is paid.

When you join our co-op, you’ll benefit from some great discounts. You can also request a partner discount card (for your spouse / partner or another family member who lives at the same address as you). The partner cardholder must be aged 16 years or older. To qualify for a discount card, you need to be a member of the East of England Co-op (as will the person you nominate to receive a partner discount card). You can become a member and apply for your discount card/s by going to Zellis Employee Self Service (Your Benefits > Colleague Discount Application or Nominee Discount Application).

What discounts are available to colleagues?

East of England Co-op discounts

Partner discounts

Are there any rules around the colleague discount scheme?

To ensure we can continue to offer our colleagues these discounts to enjoy, there are a few rules we all need to know:

• You’ll need to show your discount card at the time of any purchase. You’ll be asked if you need to provide any other proof of identity (or similar) for any reason.
• Only you (and the named person on any partner discount card) are eligible.
• It’s your responsibility to ensure that your discount card and any partner discount card are used correctly and not shared further. You and your partner cardholder must not use your discount to make purchases for other people or pass your discount card information on to anyone else for them to use. This includes not sharing discount card details in / via Stocard, Apple and Samsung wallets, etc.
• If you’re making a purchase requiring delivery, the delivery should be to your home address.
• We take any breaches or misuse of the colleague discount scheme seriously (whether that be on the part of the colleague or the partner cardholder). This may be considered gross misconduct and could lead to dismissal.

Via Your Benefits Gateway (provided by Reward Gateway), colleagues can access 100s of discounts with high-street and online retailers, helping them to save on things like groceries, bills, days out, clothing and entertainment. Colleagues can achieve these savings by:

• Purchasing discounted instant vouchers and reloadable cards;
• Tracking cashback (which can be spent on Your Benefits Gateway, donated to GroceryAid or withdrawn to your bank account); or
• Accessing discount codes.

Your Benefits Gateway is also home to all of our other benefits too, helping colleagues to better understand and access the range of benefits available to them.

Colleagues are sent an email from Your Benefits Gateway when they join our co-op which explains more about the platform and how to sign-up. Your Benefits Gateway can be accessed anytime via the website, and it’s also embedded within our colleague communications app, The Loop.

We payroll-partner with Eastern Savings & Loans Credit Union (ESLCU), meaning you can save money directly from your wages. They also offer our colleagues preferential loan rates. You can read more about ESLCU and sign up to become a member by visiting their website or calling 03336 000690.

Welcoming a child to your family is really exciting. Equally, we appreciate that with it comes the need to plan financially for time away from work. Colleagues with 1 years’ service will benefit from 90% pay for the first 10 weeks of their maternity or adoption leave, or for the first week of their paternity leave. We also offer paid leave for antenatal and pre-adoption appointments, as well as additional paid leave for the parents of a baby requiring neonatal care. You can learn more about our Family Leave arrangements here.

We understand the importance of balancing work alongside other activities, responsibilities and commitments. Click here to read more about our Flexible Working Policy.

To help them to stay well, we offer a free flu jab to colleagues (who aren’t eligible for a NHS flu jab). This is usually in the form of a voucher which can be redeemed via a nominated pharmacy. The details of the arrangements for each year’s programme is communicated in advance.

Whether you’re facing an isolated problem or challenge, or you’re dealing with a more long-term issue or concern, GroceryAid may be able to offer you support. GroceryAid are a national charity which specialises in helping colleagues across the grocery industry, including our colleagues in Funeral, H.L. Perfitt, Travel and Central Functions too. They offer a range of support and guidance in a number of areas, including mental health and wellbeing, finances, legal matters, relationships and workplace issues. Where appropriate, they can refer colleagues for telephone or face-to-face counselling, or further treatment like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). They also extend their support to colleagues’ families and dependents, including mental health and wellbeing support for children. GroceryAid can be contacted via their 24/7 helpline on 08088 021 122 or via their website. Their services are free and confidential. Subject to eligibility, they can also offer colleagues facing financial hardship support in the form of non-repayable cash grants.

Via Your Benefits Gateway, colleagues can choose to apply for a Healthcare Cash Plan provided by Westfield Health. Cover includes moneyback on health treatments, access to scanning facilities, a ‘second opinion’ service and a 24/7 GP – and, for an additional premium, can also include hospital treatment insurance. You can read more and sign-up via Your Benefits Gateway. Please note that this is a colleague purchased plan (payable via a Direct Debit arrangement with Westfield Health).

We want you to enjoy your well-earned rest away from work. Unless stated otherwise in your Contract of Employment, you’ll start on 22 days holiday and this will increase the longer you work for us (up to a maximum of 29 days). You’ll receive additional holiday entitlement equivalent to the number of Bank and Public Holidays in any holiday year too. You can learn more about our holiday arrangements by going to Absence from Work.

Everyone working at our co-op benefits from our award-winning training and support. From leadership training to apprenticeship opportunities across our different business areas, we’re committed to being a place to grow, supporting colleagues to unlock their potential. 

We recognise the effort and contribution our colleagues make each and every day. However, we think reaching particular service milestones is special and something we want to celebrate. Therefore, you’ll receive a letter from our Chief Executive Officer and a small, personal gift recognising every 5 years of service with us. Colleagues achieving 25 years’ service will also be invited to attend an evening event to celebrate their dedication and contribution to our co-op. They’ll be presented with a certificate to mark the occasion and will have the choice of receiving either £350 of East of England Co-op vouchers or a premium watch (engraving optional).

The menopause is a natural hormone transition which anyone born female will experience (including those who identify their gender in a different way), unless their ovaries were removed before puberty or they’ve altered their hormone profile (e.g. through hormone therapy).

Menopause (inclusive of peri and post stages) affects everyone differently and therefore, our policy is not overly prescriptive as we wish to instead focus on encouraging regular, open discussion between any colleague experiencing the menopause and their line manager, so they can explore together what support they feel they need.

That said, we want to assure our colleagues about our co-op’s support through the following commitments:

• We will promote awareness and understanding of the menopause amongst line managers and colleagues.
• Line managers will facilitate supportive discussions with any colleague experiencing the menopause, pro-actively suggesting and exploring reasonable adjustments which may support that colleague at work (including flexibility around uniform arrangements).
• Our internal processes will support colleagues being able to record any unplanned absences from work as being related to underlying health changes (including the menopause), enabling us to pro-actively consider how we best support them and so that this is taken into account as part of our Unplanned Absence Management Procedure.
• We will address any conduct or behaviour which is in breach of our Dignity at Work and Inclusion and Diversity policies.

To support the above, we have developed a supporting guide for managers (available via Metro) which includes information about symptoms and signposts to organisations offering advice or support. We have also collated some of these details for all colleagues to access via the Wellbeing section of our colleague app, The Loop.  

Via Your Benefits Gateway, colleagues can access mortgage advice and education services provided by Charles Cameron & Associates. This includes flexible, remote 121 meetings with mortgage advisors, as well as a digital mortgage helper and knowledge hub. The service is completely free of charge for colleagues, as well as their friends and family (including no broker fee on mortgage applications). You can learn more by visiting Charles Cameron & Associates’ dedicated webpage for our colleagues, which is available via Your Benefits Gateway.

We understand that lots of us want to support local good causes and recognise that charity-giving can be good for our own wellbeing too. Pennies from Heaven enables colleagues to donate the spare pennies from their net pay to our Community Cares Fund, managed by Suffolk Community Foundation. For example, if a colleague is paid £1,512.31 (net pay – after any statutory deductions), 31p will be donated. To clarify the amount may vary (as it is based on the net pay and spare pennies available), but will never exceed 99p each pay period.

To opt-in to Pennies from Heaven, visit Zellis Employee Self Service (Your Benefits > Pennies from Heaven). Colleagues can opt-out at any time but previous donations will not be refundable. Opt-in and opt-out requests requested in the 7 days before a payday will not normally be actioned and applied until the subsequent payday.

We believe that saving for your retirement is important so, when you contribute 5% of your basic pay into your pension, we’ll contribute 5% too. Our Group Stakeholder Pension Plan (‘’the Plan”) is operated by Royal London - you can read more about it here.

As part of our goal to become carbon neutral by 2030, we’re working towards creating an electric fleet (fully-electric or hybrid). To support colleagues in their own mission to ‘go green’, we offer an interest-free loan to help with the costs of having a domestic EV charging point installed at home. This is available to all colleagues with at least 6 months' service (not just company car drivers). Further details on eligibility and borrowing limits are as detailed in our 'Borrowing Policy' above. If approved, the loan cannot be used for anything else and is repayable over 12 pay periods. You can find out more details and apply via Zellis Employee Self Service (Our Society Car Scheme > Charging Point Loan Request). 

We recognise that being a member of a professional body may be a requirement for some job roles and offers development opportunities which benefit both the individual and our co-op as a whole. Therefore, we’re pleased to support colleagues by reimbursing their membership fees with the professional bodies listed below. The membership / professional body must be relevant to the colleague’s job or form part of an agreed development plan, as determined by the relevant Chief Officer.

We’d advise speaking with your line manager to check whether your fees are (or would be) eligible for support, before signing up to any membership. If agreed, you will be responsible for paying the fees directly to the professional body and making an expenses claim (as set out in our policy). If membership with more than two professional bodies is appropriate for your role, we may support this but you’ll need approval from your Chief Officer.

Supported Professional Bodies:

• Association of Accounting Technicians
• Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
• British Institute of Embalmers
• Chartered Institute of Building
• Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
• Chartered Institute of Marketing
• Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
• Chartered Institute of Public Relations
• Chartered Institute of Taxation
• Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales
• Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators
• Institute of Direct Marketing
• Institute of Refrigeration
• Institute of Occupational Safety & Health
• Institute of Transport Administration
• Marketing Society
• Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
• Royal Society of Arts

We know that the initial outlay of a tenancy deposit can be difficult and we want to help. Any colleague (with at least 6 months' service) can apply for an interest-free loan to put towards their tenancy deposit (as part of a Government-backed tenancy deposit scheme). Further details on eligibility and borrowing limits are as detailed in our 'Borrowing Policy' above. If approved, the loan cannot be used for anything else and is repayable over 12 pay periods. You can read more about the scheme via Your Benefits Gateway. Applications can be made via Zellis Employee Self Service  (Your Benefits > Rental Deposit Loan Scheme).

Co-op Secure Response Services are part of our diverse family of businesses. As well as helping to protect our co-op, they offer commercial and domestic security services and support to other organisations and individuals too. Colleagues at our co-op who sign-up to 12 months CCTV monitoring for their own homes through Secure Response Services will receive 6 months free monitoring with a monthly discounted rate thereafter (subject to compatibility of existing CCTV system).  For more information, you can submit an enquiry form here.

Via Smart Health, colleagues can access a variety of health services, including Virtual GP (offering same-day appointments), a ‘second opinion’ service, as well as mental health support. Even if you feel well, there are further services available, a general health check, alongside dietary and exercise advice and plans.

This benefit is free to everyone and covers your partner/spouse as well as any dependants (below the age of 21).

Signing up is easy. Just go to your app store and download ‘Smart Health’ app. As part of the registration process, you’ll need to take a photo of your driving licence/passport and upload a selfie. The only other thing you’ll need is a scheme code, which is available via Your Benefits Gateway or the People Team (hrservices@eastofengland.coop).

We recognise that it can be worrying when technology we rely on, like a washing machine or fridge, breaks. Via SmartTech, any colleague (with at least 6 months’ service) can apply to purchase new technology and then spread the payments over 12 paydays, interest-free. Further details on eligibility and borrowing limits are as detailed in our 'Borrowing Policy' above. Colleagues can browse and apply for SmartTech via Your Benefits Gateway where full terms and conditions are available.

We want to give our colleagues more control of their finances, including education and awareness, access to their own money when they need it and making saving easier. Via Wagestream, you can:

• Access up to 30% of the gross pay* you’ve already earnt for a flat administration fee of £1.95 per stream. The value of the advance plus the transaction fee is then recovered from your pay on the next available payday.
• Track your basic earnings in real-time (please note that this won’t include adjustments or variable pay, e.g. absence and overtime).
• Save straight from your pay into an instant access savings pot.
• Access expert financial coaching, tools, tips and articles, including personalised action plans.

Colleagues are sent an email from Wagestream when they join our co-op which explains more about their services and how to sign-up. Wagestream is app-based, but they are able to offer colleagues without a smartphone some limited services (contact the People Team at hrservices@eastofengland.coop to find out more).

Via the Wagestream App, colleagues can control how they use this benefit, including placing limits on their usage, e.g. restricting their access to salary advances. However, if a colleague remains concerned about their usage, or you’re a manager concerned about a member of your team, please contact the People Team to discuss this further.

* Earnt basic pay will be available to stream immediately. Overtime pay will be accessible as soon as the details of your overtime shift/s have been exported as part of payroll processes (this may take up to 10 days)

Over the years a lot of focus has been placed on looking after our physical health through good diet, exercise and being better informed about our bodies. Now we are much more aware of the importance of our mental health and wellbeing too - after all, we all have brains and so we all have mental health.  

The Government-commissioned ‘Thriving at Work’ review (Stevenson / Farmer, 2017) states that 1 in 6 people in the UK struggle with anxiety, low mood, stress, or anxiety. Being more aware of how we’re feeling, recognising what helps us to stay well and identifying any barriers to our wellbeing, can help us to stay happy and healthy and be more productive - not just at work, but in other aspects of our lives too.  

Our co-op is committed to improving the daily lives of our colleagues and providing a working environment where wellbeing is key. What each of us needs to stay well will be different, and so this policy is not overly prescriptive as we wish to instead focus on encouraging regular, open discussions between colleagues and managers regarding mental health and wellbeing.   

That said, we want to assure our colleagues about our co-op’s support through the following commitments, which aim to improve the health, safety and wellbeing of colleagues for the benefit of all:   

• We will promote awareness and understanding of mental health and wellbeing amongst line managers and colleagues.   
• Line managers will be offered training and support to help them to confidently and appropriately support their colleagues’ mental health at work.  
• We will encourage and support colleagues to have open and honest conversations about mental health.  
• We will review and develop tools and resources which help to promote healthy and positive discussions about mental health and wellbeing, including:  
  • Wellness Action Plans (available via Zellis Employee Self Service) will be available to all colleagues from their very first day at our co-op. This colleague-owned document facilitates open and honest conversations about wellbeing (including both physical and mental health) and can help to identify joint agreements about workplace adjustments and other support.  
  • We will offer step-by-step crisis guidance and support in the form of colleague and manager workbooks (available via Metro and The Loop). These resources, when used in conjunction, can help to support discussions with positive outcomes, including ensuring that any colleague in crisis is signposted to the help they need.   

• We will offer self-help information, guidance and support for colleagues and their families via the wellbeing section of our colleague app, The Loop.  
• Via our partnership with Grocery Aid, we will promote the services and support offered by this industry charity. This is available to all colleagues at our co-op (not just those in food stores).   
• We will address any conduct or behaviour which is in breach of Dignity at Work and Inclusion and Diversity policies.