Thames & Hudson Employee Benefits (updated May 2024)
In addition to being a fabulous place to work, amongst creative people and inspiring books, T&H offers you an array of entitlements and non-contractual benefits.
Holiday
Your annual holiday entitlement is 28 days, plus Bank Holidays, which is pro-rated if you start during the year and/or are part-time. Three days of your annual holiday entitlement need to be kept back for the Christmas office closure.
Five days of the annual holiday entitlement may be carried over into the next holiday year provided they are taken by the end of February of that year. If they are not taken by then, you will lose your entitlement to them.
Profit Share Scheme
We operate a voluntary Profit-Share Scheme that is contingent on company profits. The profit share is calculated in December based on estimated profits for that financial year (January to December) and may be issued in one or two instalments: the first with your pay for December and the second, if any, with your pay for one month in the following autumn. Should you leave before the month in which the second instalment is paid you will not be eligible for this payment.
At present, the company makes available 10% of its profit (before deducting pension contributions and tax) for the Profit-Share Scheme. Each employee is allocated a point entitlement calculated by reference to your gross salary and full years of service. The employee share per point is calculated by reference to the sum available to the scheme divided by the total number of employee share points. The individual employee entitlement is then calculated by multiplying the employee share per point by the number of employee share points you have that year. A detailed calculation is provided with each payment and if you have any queries about this, please talk to our Chief Financial Officer.
As our Profit-Share Scheme is dependent on company profits, we reserve the right not to pay a profit share in any year or to replace the scheme with another monetary benefit we may decide at our discretion.
Employee Book Purchases
You can buy books published by Thames & Hudson, as well as titles we publish in collaboration with the British Museum and the V&A and titles from publishers whose lists we distribute.
The current discounts (off the recommended retail price) are as follows:
- First copy of T&H titles in the year of first publication: 75% (further copies: 50%)
- T&H titles following the year of first publication: 50%
- T&H titles published in collaboration with The British Museum and the V&A: as above
- T&H Collectors Editions/Limited Editions/Catalogue Raisonné: 45% for the first copy ordered in the year of first publication. All further copies at the usual trade short discount between 25-35%.
- Titles published by our distributed publishers: 50%
We reserve the right to alter these discount rates in general or for titles.
Books can be bought through Gateway on the Touchpad
Pension Scheme (during probation)
All employees are automatically enrolled after three months if they meet the criteria set by the Government. Let HR know if you wish to opt out. Thames & Hudson offers membership of a Group Personal Pension Plan with Scottish Widows.
As a minimum, Thames & Hudson will contribute an amount equal to 5.25% of your basic salary, and you will also be required to contribute 2.75%.
You become eligible for the following benefits upon successful completion of your probationary period:
Enhanced Pension Scheme
You have the option to benefit from a generous enhanced contribution basis as outlined in the table below:
| You contribute | Thames & Hudson contributes | Total contributed |
| 3% | 6% | 9% |
| 4% | 8% | 12% |
| 4.5% | 9% | 13.5% |
| 5% | 10% | 15% |
| 5%+ | 10% | 15%+ |
T&H operates a ‘salary exchange’ arrangement for pension contributions giving employees the benefit of reduced national insurance contributions. You can opt out of this.
Life Assurance
If you opt for a higher contribution basis as outlined above, then you become eligible for a life assurance benefit of 2x annual salary. If you need to update your expression of wish details, then please contact HR.
Enhanced Sick Pay
Thames & Hudson employees are eligible for enhanced sick pay if you are unable to attend work due to illness, subject to conditions and service requirements. For further information, please see the Sickness Absence policy on the Policy and Procedures section of Touchpad.
Season Ticket Loan
We offer an interest-free loan for the purchase of an annual season ticket. This is then repaid through the monthly payroll, usually over a 12-month period.
Applications should be made via email to HR and Finance, stating the amount of the season ticket and giving details of the travel provider to whom the bank transfer should be made.
In the event that you leave our employment before the expiry of the loan period, the balance must be repaid to T&H. Where your final salary is sufficient to cover the loan, repayment will be made by deduction. If the outstanding balance of the loan is greater than the final salary payment, a bank transfer for the balance must be made to the Thames & Hudson bank account before your last day in the office.
Rent Deposit Loan
Employees are entitled to apply for an interest-free Rent Deposit Loan to help towards the deposit payment when they are renting accommodation. If you are interested then please contact the HR department.
Museum Association Membership
We have arranged for staff to receive annual individual membership to the Museums Association, with free and discounted entry to over 900 museums and galleries nationwide. Please contact Sophie for further details.
Hybrid working/Work from Anywhere
After your first two months, you may benefit from our Hybrid Working Policy, which currently allows for a minimum of three days a week in the office. The actual days in the office are to be agreed upon with your line manager.
If you have been with us for 12 months, you may apply for up to 15 additional days a year to Work from Anywhere. This is a unique feature that will, within parameters, allow you, for example, to add a week onto a holiday to work from abroad, or to convert these days into additional work-from-home days – all with your manager’s approval, of course. Please refer to the hybrid working policy for full details.
The next 3 benefits are paid via salary sacrifice so you can benefit from tax and NI savings:
Will Benefit
Permanent employees and those on fixed-term contracts lasting at least twelve months are entitled to apply for our Will Benefit scheme currently which is administered by Enjoy Benefits, which will allow you to spread the cost of writing a will. This is a value of up to £600. If you would like to apply then please contact HR.
Gym Benefit
All employees are entitled to corporate rates on thousands of gym memberships all over the country. Please contact HR to initiate this.
Cycle to work scheme
Permanent employees and those on fixed contracts lasting at least twelve months are entitled to apply for our Cycle to Work scheme currently which is administered by Enjoy Benefits, which will allow you to buy a bike with a value of up to £2,000. If you would like to apply then please contact HR.
Wellbeing Initiatives
Eye care vouchers
All employees are entitled to a voucher for one free eye test per year and may also be entitled to a contribution towards the cost of glasses (up to £100.00 for specs required solely for VDU if confirmed by an optician). To request an eye care voucher please contact the HR department.
Occupational Health
Should you have any health concerns which may need adaptations to your working arrangements, HR can refer you to an Occupational Health service to obtain independent medical advice.
Employee Assistance Programme
Our Employee Assistance Programme is an on-demand service which gives you free day-to-day well-being support and access to an expert counselling service to help you and your family at any time – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Our employee assistance programme is with Legal & General.
| How your EAP can help | |
| Telephone Support | An independent, confidential and unlimited 24/7 service. Provided by specialist professionals who offer practical advice on stress, anxiety, family and relationship matters and many more issues |
| Legal Information Service | Free information and links to legal advice on many aspects such as debt management, lawsuits, consumer or property disputes. Note, this service does not give legal advice |
| Medical Information | Recommendations, practical information and advice on medical or health-related issues from qualified professionals |
Further information can be found by visiting https://landg.spectrum.life/login,access code: BeWell, or by calling 0800 316 9337.
Retail Rewards
Legal & General also offer you, as an employee of T&H, huge discounts off your daily shopping as well as big purchases, in the form of cashback or discounted gift cards.
https://spectrumbenefits.benefithub.com/app/discounts/home?ref=nav_logo
Charity Days
Employees can request to take up to two paid days a year for charitable activities on a discretionary basis and subject to management agreement. For more information, please speak to your manager and HR.
Learning & Development
We are committed to ensuring that our employees receive the appropriate learning and development opportunities they need to perform your role to the best of your ability. On-the-job coaching and training will be provided, where necessary, by your Line Manager and/or Head of Department. Where it is identified by you or your Line Manager that an external training course would be of benefit to you in your role, we may be able to facilitate that, provided such cost is reasonable and falls within your departmental training budget.
We also hold internal training courses from time to time, run either by our directors, managers or external consultants. You will be invited to attend if a particular course is relevant to your role. We welcome suggestions about further training that you feel will benefit you personally or T&H employees in general. Your annual appraisal is an opportunity to discuss your ongoing L & D interests and opportunities.
The Bookseller Digital Subscription
As a T&H employee, you are entitled to a digital subscription to The Bookseller. This is a valuable source of industry news and information and is available to everyone with a T&H email address. You can read each edition online, each Friday, as soon as it’s published and decide what level of additional information you would like such as the Morning Briefing and Books in the Media. Sign up by using your T&H email address.
Pastry Wednesdays (and fruit!)
There is a selection of pastries and muffins in the first-floor kitchen for you to enjoy alongside your tea/coffee on a Wednesday morning.
Good News Thursdays
We hold regular Thursday company-wide catch-ups at which news, shout-outs and information about upcoming events is shared. These are currently taking place as hybrid events, delivered by Teams, so you can join us in the office and share a drink afterwards or from your home office if you are unable to be here in person. If you have something you would like to talk about or would like announced during a particular GNT, let HR know in advance.
T&H Lunchtime Talks
We will resume regular lunchtime talks given by authors, photographers, designers and other of our collaborators. This gives a wider insight into our books and publishing and you are encouraged to attend. If you have any ideas for speakers, please contact our Communications and Marketing Director.
Parental Benefits
Enhanced maternity pay
Eligible employees are entitled to enhanced maternity pay. Specific details can be found on the policies and procedures page. If you have any questions, please speak to HR.
Paternity pay (statutory)
Eligible employees are entitled to up to 2 weeks’ paid paternity leave (10 paid working days) which can be taken within 52 weeks of the actual date of birth of the child. If you have any questions, please speak to HR.
Shared Parental Leave
Shared Parental Leave (SPL) is a flexible system which allows both parents to take paid time off work in their child’s first year. For further information please see the policies and procedures page.
Time off for Dependents Policy
The law recognizes that there may be occasions when you need to take time off work to deal with unexpected events involving one of your dependents. Our Time Off For Dependants Policy allows our employees to take a reasonable amount of unpaid time off work to deal with certain situations affecting their dependants. No one who takes time off in accordance with this policy will be subjected to any detrimental treatment. For further details please see the policies and procedures page.
