Congratulations on your new role!
It’s not long before you begin with us now and we’re really looking forward to welcoming you!
We know you may have a few questions as your first day approaches, so we thought it would be helpful to share some more information about working life at Affinity Water and what to expect. But don’t worry, when you start more will be explained and there’ll be lots more opportunities to ask questions. Or you can reach out to your line manager if you have anything more specific you need to know before you begin.
What to expect in your first few weeks
Within the first month, all new employees are invited to our head office in Hatfield for a company induction. You’ll have some e-learning and possibly some in-person learning to do too, depending on your role.
Your manager will set objectives with you for your probationary period and will check in regularly with you to see how you’re getting on and to make sure you have all the support you need to develop and perform well.
Our locations and facilities
On your first day, you’ll usually report to the site you’ve been employed to work from (unless your manager has told you otherwise). Your manager will meet you or they will have arranged for someone else to. You’ll be given a site induction including, if you’re working at an operational site, what Personal Protective Equipment is required for different areas.
All our sites have car parking, though sometimes they can be busy depending on the time of day. We expect everyone to reverse park in all our car parks for health and safety reasons so please make sure you do this from day one.
If you are working at our head office in Hatfield and you live locally, there is free or subsidised travel on the Uno buses – just show your Affinity Water security pass once you get it. There’s also a secure bicycle park in the car park at Hatfield and spaces for motorcycles. If you are driving to Hatfield, avoid parking in the visitor bays or Control Ops bays unless you are working in Control Operations.
All sites have some kitchen facilities for making drinks or re-heating food. Hatfield has an onsite Bistro, which serves hot and cold food and drinks for breakfast, lunch and in between (open from 8am to 3pm).
Once you start, you’ll be able to find information about all our locations, site security, health and safety, what PPE is required, and facilities on our intranet ‘The Wave’. It’s always worth checking this information before visiting any new site too!
What to wear
We want everyone to feel comfortable and to stay safe while they work. We also want our people to feel proud of working at Affinity Water and to convey a professional image to our customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders.
In our offices and when working from home, we expect people to look professional. Items like football shirts or other sportswear, flip flops, and shorts are not permitted. Trainers can be worn, provided they are a dark or neutral colour and look smart. Open-toed or heeled shoes are only allowed on sites where PPE is not required.
The image below gives a simple overview of what is needed on our operational and construction sites or when working in field-based roles. Safety footwear is required in all these areas and will be provided to you.
If you do need corporate clothing and PPE for your role, you’ll get the basics on your first day (based on the sizing you’ve already provided). We know that having well-fitting PPE is important to keep you safe and comfortable and we do have a range of options for men and women, so if you need additional items or something’s not fitting right, speak with your manager.
Here’s some more helpful information
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Our company intranet is called ‘The Wave’. It’s where you’ll be able to get all the latest company news, learn about different teams and find out about how to get things done like contacting the IT service desk, ordering PPE, booking travel, or claiming expenses. It is also where you’ll be able to access important company documents like our policies and handbooks.
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Our pay day is the 15th of each month and you’ll be paid two weeks in advance and two weeks in arrears. If you start on or before the 8th of the month, you’ll receive your first salary on the 15th. But if you start after the 8th of the month, it will be too late to include you in that month’s payroll, so you’ll receive your first salary on the 15th of the following month (including the pay for the work done in your first month).
When you start, remember to bring your P45 if you have one (you will get this from your previous employer) to the payroll team on the first floor in Hatfield, or if you have an electronic version you can email it to payroll.enquiries@affinitywater.co.uk. This will make sure you are on the right tax code and paying the right amount of tax from your first month’s pay.
If you do not have a P45 (e.g., if this is your first job or you have lost it), you’ll be asked to complete a new starter checklist (more info here).
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After three months of employment with us, everyone aged 22 or over is automatically enrolled into the company pension scheme. This is a generous scheme, as the company double matches your contributions (e.g., if you contribute 4% the company will pay in an additional 8% of your salary). The minimum contribution you can make is 3% and the maximum the company will contribute is 12%. You’ll be given a pension information pack once you join explaining more.
If you don’t want to wait three months or until you’re 22 to be auto enrolled, you can join the scheme sooner by e-mailing pensionsadmin@affinitywater.co.uk to request this.
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The leave year runs from 1st May to 30th April each year. When you join your annual leave entitlement will be pro-rated according to how much of the current leave year is left.
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There are lots of great benefits available to you as an Affinity Water employee, such as access to salary-sacrifice car lease and cycle to work schemes, dental and health cash plans, plus discounts at a wide range of retailers. You can browse what’s on offer by visiting ‘Tap 4 Perks’ on The Wave once you start and you’ll get more information as part of your induction too.
Some benefits like paid maternity, paternity or parental leave may depend on you completing a certain amount of service before becoming eligible.
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Supporting the health and wellbeing of our people is important to us and we are committed to being a Disability Confident and a zero-harm employer too. Please let your manager or HR know, at any point, if you have a long-term condition or disability and need adjustments or additional support to work safely and at your best.
We also have an Employee Assistance Programme, which can provide free confidential advice on a range of health, legal, or domestic issues. There is a network of mental health first aiders, across our workplaces, if you ever need a chat or more immediate support.
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There’s lots to get involved in at Affinity Water, if you want to, and it can be a great way to meet people, make connections and begin to feel a part of things.
Our Eauzone social committee runs some clubs and social events, from angling clubs in Rickmansworth and Staines, to men’s and women’s football clubs, and lunchtime yoga sessions in Hatfield. And our ‘Wednesday Wellbeing Club’ meets up once a week to go for a run or walk around the Hatfield business park at the end of the day – all abilities are welcome!
There are employee inclusion networks too: a women’s network, a ONE network, which is focused on building awareness and understanding of different cultures, a disability and neurodiversity network, and a ProudAW network focused on LGBTQ+ inclusion. All the networks have Microsoft Teams sites that you can ask to join, and they sometimes run events or webinars that are open to all.
Go to the ‘Our Communities’ section of The Wave once you start to see what you can get involved in.
We recognise the GMB and Unison trade unions. If you’re already a member or want to find out more about them, you’ll find details about them in the Communities section of The Wave too.
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If you live locally and you’re an Affinity Water customer, we need you to be a water saver and to help spread the message to you family, friends, and community. Affinity Water customers use an average 157 litres of water a day, which is more than the national average of 145 litres, and we would like to get usage down to 125 litres a day.
Visit our website before you start to find out more about the Save Our Streams campaign, check out the water saving tips and do the ‘My Water Footprint’ quiz. If you’re a customer, you can claim free water-saving devices for your home, order a discounted water butt for your garden, or book a free home visit to get more water-saving advice or a free leak visit if you have a leak that needs fixing.
