Why work at Council?

At Greater Shepparton City Council we value our employees and the work they do for the community and environment. In return we provide a range of initiatives and programs to encourage our people to develop their skills and career. These are some of the benefits we offer.

Generous leave entitlements

• Annual leave – Four weeks annual leave for permanent employees. Pro rata applies to part time employees.
• Parental leave – Parental leave and adoption leave is available for both primary carers and non-primary carers. An employee with 12 months or more of continuous service is entitled to 14 weeks full pay or 28 weeks half pay parental leave for the primary carer and 2 week paid parental leave for the secondary.
• Prenatal leave – In addition to parental leave employees are entitled to 38 hours of prenatal leave to attend pregnancy related appointments. Pro rata applies to part time employees.
• Compassionate leave – Up to five days paid leave if there is a death in the immediate family.
• Sick leave – 12 days sick leave for permanent or fixed term employees. Pro rata applies to part time employees. Additional provisions apply for Childcare Educators and Maternal and Child Health Nurses.
• Carers leave – All permanent employees are entitled to carers leave to care for family members. Carers leave comes out of sick leave entitlements.
• Accrued day off (ADO) – Full-time, permanent employees are entitled to an ADO once every four weeks based on hours worked. Outdoor employees are entitled to a nine day fortnight.
• Family violence leave – Up to 20 days per year of paid leave to attend medical appointments, legal proceedings and other activities relating to family violence.
• Long service leave – Employees are entitled to long service leave on a pro rata basis after 7 years of continuous service. Long Service can be transferred between Local Governments organisations within Victoria.
• Purchase leave – Employees have the option to purchase up to four weeks leave in addition to their four weeks annual leave. Purchasing additional leave reduces your overall salary but provides a great opportunity to balance work and life responsibilities. Staff may apply to have an additional four weeks leave each year, based on a reduced salary arrangement.
• Leave loading – In accordance with Council’s Enterprise Agreement, leave loading is paid to all permanent and fixed term employees in the first pay period in December
• Transferred leave entitlements – If you are currently working with another Victorian Council, you can transfer your Long Service and Sick Leave entitlements.

Health & wellbeing

• Employee assistance program (EAP) – Offering free, confidential and professional external counselling to employees and their immediate family. The program provides professional counselling on personal matters, depression, anxiety, anger and violence, gambling, drug, alcohol and other additions, loneliness, grief, bereavement, emotional difficulties and mental health.
• Health and wellbeing programs – Council delivers a range of health and wellbeing initiatives including skin checks, annual flu vaccinations, Work Healthy Australia soft tissue appointments and the Corporate Triathlon
• Flexible working arrangements – Council is supportive of various flexible working arrangements which may include time in lieu, leave without pay, part-time work, job-share arrangements, variations to ordinary hours and phased retirement.
• Discounted gym and pool membership – For eligible employees
• Contact Officer Network – Peer support program.
• Social Club – Council has two staff social clubs which run a range of events throughout the year and offer many benefits including discounted tickets and social events.
• Phased retirement – Enabling mature employees flexibility regarding their retirement.
• Car-pooling – We offer a car pooling program to employees who travel from within the Greater Shepparton region
• Occupational health and safety – Greater Shepparton City Council is committed to providing a safe and healthy work environment Council has a strong focus on the health and safety of all our employees, we provide quality training and ensure employees have a safe working environment.
• Equal opportunity – Council is an equal opportunity employer providing a safe workplace that is free of discrimination and victimisation, where all employees are treated equally and fairly. At Greater Shepparton City Council diversity means accepting, respecting and valuing the differences between people in our organisation and our community. These differences can include ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, physical abilities, family status, religious beliefs, perspective, experience, or other ideologies.
• Supporting charities – Council staff support a variety of charities throughout the year including a winter clothing drive and Christmas food hampers.

Professional development programs

• Comprehensive induction program – For new employees
• Internal training program – includes information technology, record management, finance and health and safety training
• Extensive learning and development calendar
• Access to nationally recognised education and training programs for eligible employees – We offer a range of training and development opportunities for employees to improve their knowledge skills and competency.
• Training and development needs are discussed at annual appraisals.
• Secondments within the organisation – We encourage employees to seek opportunities both internally and externally, to further develop their skills and experience.
• Service and recognition awards
• Graduate programs, apprenticeships and traineeships – offered in trades such as parks and gardens, civil construction, sport and recreation, planning and accounting.
• Sit / stand desks

Other benefits

• Terms and conditions of employment are covered by an Enterprise Agreement
• Above-award pay rates
• Superannuation – Council contributes 11% of salary to an employee nominated superannuation fund. Employee contributions are optional.
• Salary sacrifice – Eligible employees are entitled to salary sacrifice Novated leases for motor vehicles and computers
• Rates – Automatic pay deductions for employees residing in the Greater Shepparton City Council municipality
• Childcare – Automatic pay deductions (salary sacrifice) if you are using Council’s childcare centre.