Work-life balance and family-friendly policies

We know life is about more than just work. While we want to ensure you're getting the most out of your job, we also appreciate that there are other things in life that are important, which is why we offer flexibility and a great work-life balance.

Balancing work with family, personal and other duties can be a challenge. That's why we offer generous leave schemes, along with flexible working options and family-friendly policies that help you achieve a healthy work-life balance.

Annual leave allowance

Our annual leave year runs from 1 August to 31 July. All our colleagues receive an enhanced annual leave allowance (pro-rata for part-time staff), as detailed below: 

  • 30 days for PMSA staff, academic and research staff able to take annual leave at similar levels by local arrangement
  • 26 days for support staff
  • 8 bank holidays
  • 6 University closure days
  • You may also have the option to purchase up to 10 additional days of annual leave.

Family-friendly policies

We're proud to be a family-friendly university. That means we offer support around important areas such as parenting and caring responsibilities. We offer several family-friendly policies that go above and beyond the statutory minimum, ensuring you have the support you need to support your family.

Some of our family-friendly policies include: 

Flexible working

If you work full-time at the University, you will typically be working 35 hours per week. However, we offer several flexible working routes for those who need it.

Flexible working generally refers to any working pattern where the number of hours worked, the times these hours are completed or the place of work differs from the standard practice. Staff can make a request to alter these ways of working through policies such as job-sharing, term-time working, shift working, staggered hours and compressed hours.

Professional services (PS) staff may also have the option to split their time between the campus and working remotely, depending on the requirements of their role.

Requests for flexible working will always be taken into consideration and will be accommodated as far as possible.

As well as the above policies, colleagues can also enjoy further benefits such as: 

  • Enhanced Career Break Scheme
  • Time off to engage in UK based public duties
  • Up to 3 days paid leave per academic year to use on volunteering activities.

Childcare

Looking after your little ones while you're working can be a challenge. That's why we offer staff the chance to enrol in childcare services at the University. We offer a range of childcare services including an Ofsted-registered Children's Centre and an on-campus Holiday Scheme.   

Our childcare options include:

As we as offering childcare, we also have several other family-friendly initiatives, including a range of family-friendly activities and on-campus breastfeeding and baby facilities. 

Support for pet owners

For many people, pets are more than just companions. They're part of our families. That's why our family-friendly policies extend to your furry friends too. 

We offer a 5% staff discount at our University Veterinary Practice's Small Animal Practice.

Back to: Working at Liverpool