Working at SYP

The Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) offers a range of benefits to employees as part of our commitment to make SYP the best place to work and to motivate our staff to ensure that MSYPs are best supported to represent young people in Scotland.

SYP has developed a competency framework to support our staff with development and training. This is linked in our job descriptions, how we structure interviews, monthly check ins, 6 monthly and annual appraisal process.

SYP employees can expect all of our staff to live our staff values (which are in addition to our organisational values):

Our Staff Values are:

Our Organisational Values are

• Democracy – We are youth-led and accountable to young people aged 14 to 25. Our democratic structure and the scale of our engagement across Scotland gives us a mandate that sets us apart from other organisations.
• Rights – We are a rights-based organisation. We are passionate about making young people aware of their rights, and ensuring that local and national governments uphold their rights.
• Inclusion and Diversity – We are committed to being truly inclusive and work tirelessly to ensure policymakers and politicians hear the voices of young people from every community and background in Scotland.
• Political Impartiality – We are independent from all political parties. By working with all stakeholders, groups, and individuals who share our values, we deliver the policies that are most important to young people.

Flexible working

• Staff at SYP can work flexibly and choose their start or end time in the working day
  • For example, if an employee starts work at 8am, takes an hour for their lunch they can finish at 4pm or whenever they have completed their 7-hour working day. Likewise, if a member of staff starts at 10am, take an hour for lunch, they can finish at 6pm.
• We encourage all staff to have a lunch break. We find this helps break up the day and help focus.
  • Staff can also choose to take a longer lunch break and start earlier or finish earlier as a result.
• Staff can request a more formal flexible working arrangement.

How We Work

• Our staff work between our office in Edinburgh and home. At SYP we recognise the need to be more flexible to ensure our team is supported and feel like part of the team. Staff have access to equipment to ensure they can work from home comfortably.

Our Office

• SYP works from Norton Park, a shared office hub for charities in Edinburgh. We have a number of hot desks and access to a range of other spaces which is great for working collaboratively. Our office is stocked with tea, coffee, hot chocolate, milk and sugar for staff to keep them going throughout the day.
• We have a range of team building and away days throughout the year which help the team plan, learn and develop.

Staff Wellbeing

• All staff have access to an employee assistance programme provided via YuLife. This programme includes a virtual GP, 24/7 confidential well-being support, and information on a number of life-related issues. YuLife offers employees daily challenges, including walking, workouts, and sudukos, to collect points, which can be exchanged for vouchers.
• SYP Staff are enrolled in a Group Income Protection Scheme (conditions apply).

Holidays

• We offer a generous holiday entitlement of 25 days a year, plus 10 public holiday days. 
• We close the office over Christmas and New Year, giving staff an extra three or four days as a thank you for their hard work throughout the year.

Other types of leave

• Sickness absence – We pay sickness pay at an enhanced rate after staff have completed their probationary period, during probationary period, sickness pay is at the discretion of the CEO.
• Bereavement leave – staff can request leave in the event of the bereavement of a close family member or friend.
• Carer/Dependants leave – Staff can request leave in the event they need to care for a close.
• Volunteering days – staff can request time off to give their time back up to 2 days per year.
• Medical appointments – Staff are given paid time off to attend medical appointments.
• Maternity, paternity and adoption leave – We pay statutory maternity, paternity and adoption pay to eligible staff.

Professional and personal development

• We offer a range of training and development for our staff. Staff are asked at their annual appraisal for training requests that might help them in their current role or training for the role they would like to hold in the future.
• We hold regular staff training days for the whole team on topics like first aid, child protection and strategy.
• SYP encourages CPD and offers staff the opportunity to attend conferences and events that spark their interest.

Looking to the future

• We offer a pension package to all staff from their first day at SYP, and we offer an auto enrolment pension scheme with People’s Pension. SYP will match your contributions up to 7.5%.