Come and Work with Us!

The Royal Commission is a respected organisation in many ways, not least in its ability to retain and nurture talent amongst its workforce. We recently celebrated the retirement of a colleague whose exceptional career spanned four decades, and with a few more retirements on the horizon, we have more opportunities than ever coming up.

In the spirit of welcoming new opportunities, we’d like to introduce a new page on our website, entitled ‘Benefits of Working for the Commission’. This page was created to highlight the multitude of benefits that come hand-in-hand with a career at the Commission, with the health and well-being of staff at its core.

A global research study by analytics and advisory company Gallup, found that five key elements add up to a thriving life:

• Career wellbeing: You like what you do every day.
• Social wellbeing: You have meaningful friendships in your life.
• Financial wellbeing: You manage your money well.
• Physical wellbeing: You have energy to get things done.
• Community wellbeing: You like where you live.

‘Wellness vs. Wellbeing: What’s the Difference?’ By Ryan Pendell, Workplace Science Writer at Gallup https://www.gallup.com/workplace/340202/wellness-wellbeing-difference.aspx

At the Commission we strongly believe that work can play a positive role in all these five areas of life, and that staff well-being is key to their engagement, productivity and performance. In acknowledgement that our staff are our most valuable resource, we strive to treat them as exactly that, valuable.

Career

We invest in our staff by supporting professional and personal development. We offer excellent training and development opportunities for all staff ranging from short courses to degrees.

New staff receive comprehensive induction training, introducing them to all areas of the Commission, its work and teams.

We currently offer weekly Welsh classes during working hours for those staff who are keen to improve their Welsh language skills.

Staff are eligible to apply for up to 5 days paid leave per year to undertake volunteering activities.

‘The Royal Commission is funding my post-graduate qualification in Archive Administration and lets me attend online workshops during work hours. The ability to combine the theoretical knowledge I’m gaining through studying with the practical hands-on experience of working at the Commission has made me confident in my abilities as an archivist, and optimistic about my future career.’

Megan Ryder, Archives Assistant

Social

We have an active union (Prospect) which promotes and protects the interests of its members. The relationship between us as employer and the union is based on social partnership.

We strongly encourage a healthy work-life balance and empower our staff by offering a flexible working hours scheme and generous annual leave.

We invest in our staff and encourage a healthy work-life balance by offering family-friendly policies, such as enhanced maternity, paternity, shared parental and adoption leave schemes.

‘The experience of being able to take shared parental leave was invaluable. I had the opportunity to watch my son’s development, and play a full-time role in his early life, without having to worry about money.’

James January-McCann, Place Names Officer

Under normal circumstances all our staff work from our office in Aberystwyth. At the present time however, our staff are complying with the Welsh Government request to work remotely when they can in order to minimise the risk from the Covid pandemic. We are looking at changing our existing arrangements to allow staff the opportunity to request a more flexible way of working. This could be in the form of ‘smart working’, where staff work part of their time in the office and part of their time remotely, or homeworking where staff work at home for the majority of their working hours.

Financial

We offer successful candidates the opportunity to join the Civil Service pension arrangements. These include generous employer contributions, member contribution rates which are among the lowest in the public sector, and a secure, inflation-proof pension for life with no investment uncertainty.

Staff are eligible for “time in lieu” for out of hours working (e.g., fieldwork or attending events), with time-and-a-half/double-time for weekend working.              

We pay staff expenses (travel and subsistence) for fieldwork and attending events.

For roles that include fieldwork, we provide staff with their own outdoor/safety clothing.

Physical

Our standard working week is 37 hours excluding lunch breaks but includes a “well-being hour” (pro rata for staff working part time) to be spent on an activity that contributes to staff health and wellbeing.

We also offer a range of health benefits, such as:

• Free eye tests
• A significant contribution towards new spectacles if staff require them to do their job
• Free access to our Employee Assistance Programme which includes a staff counselling service
• Eligibility for discounted membership at the Aberystwyth Sports Centre
• Eligibility for membership of the Civil Services Sports Council (CSSC), which offers sports, leisure offers, member benefits and retail discounts.

‘The “wellbeing hour” gives me just the motivation I need to go out for that walk or take a lunch-time Pilates class (at the nearby Aberystwyth Sports Centre, under non-COVID circumstances). It’s use it or lose it! Because of our flexible working hours, I can fit those things in without having to sacrifice a proper lunch break. It means I come back to my desk refreshed.’

Reina van der Wiel, Governance and Risk Manager

Community

The Commission’s open-plan office is located at the National Library for Wales in Aberystwyth, which offers an excellent location and working environment including:

▪ Free on-site parking

▪ A subsidised, public restaurant

▪ Staff discount in the National Library shop.

We have an internally organised ‘Women’s Group’ which invites external female speakers to give presentations to staff, hosts social events, shares valuable resources and supports staff.

Our staff are drawn to the Commission for its strong values and passion for heritage. Determination and enthusiasm are at the core of what we do, and what bonds us in our work and as friends.

If you’d like to join our team, go to: https://rcahmw.gov.uk/about-us/working-for-the-commission/current-vacancies/

Current vacancies –

HR Manager

Geomatics Officer

Investigator (Historic Buildings)

Online Services Manager

Upcoming vacancies –

IT Officer

By Marisa Morgan

18/02/2022