Innovate Trust have introduced a “Refer a friend scheme”. This is for current employees who have introduced external candidates to us since 1^st July 2021.

The scheme works as follows:

• A current employee (the “referrer”) encourages a friend / family member to apply for one of our external vacancies.
• The friend / family member applies for the job and notes on the relevant section of their application form the name of our employee who referred them
• They get a job with Innovate Trust and starts with us.
• After they have started, the “referrer” receives a bonus payment. The amount paid depends on the number of hours per week the new starter works for us (see table below for timescales and amounts).
• The friend / family member (now also an employee of Innovate Trust) successfully completes their probation with the organisation and it is signed off. The “referrer” receives a further bonus payment on the next available pay day (see table below for amounts).

The Refer A Friend scheme eligibility currently applies to the following roles

• Support Worker
• Team Leader (external candidates only)
• Complex Needs Support Worker (external candidates only)

The following rules apply to the scheme and payment will only be made subject to the following criteria being met:

• The bonus will not be paid to employees already employed in the organisation in either a substantive or a relief role or is re-recruited after an absence of less than two years.
  
  
• The bonus is subject to the normal deductions of tax and national insurance but is not pensionable
  
  
• The bonus does not apply to the recruitment of relief employees.
  
  
• The bonus does not apply to agency employees already engaged with Innovate Trust
  
  
• The bonus only applies to active vacancies advertised externally by Innovate Trust (e.g. not “Internal Only” posts).
  
  
• No retrospective payments will be made in respect of candidates already introduced by employees prior to 1^st July 2021.
  
  
• Any manager or employee who participates in the recruitment and selection process for anyone they have referred (i.e. shortlisting, any assessment, interview, offer and/or providing a reference) are not eligible to claim the bonus
  
  
• The scheme is subject to withdrawal, change or review at any time, without notice or prior consideration to compensation

• The name of the referring employee must be clearly noted on the application form. No payments will be made if this missing.
  
  
• Final approval of the successful referral will be made by the relevant Senior Manager responsible for the recruitment process.
• There is no limit on the number of candidates an employee may refer
• HR will liaise with the referred individuals’ line manager and the Training department to confirm whether the criteria have been met. HR will complete the Refer A Friend bonus claim form

The Refer a Friend bonus payment is paid in 2 stages.

Stage 1 – up to £200 paid to the referrer once the new employee is in post and has completed 3 months’ service.

Bonus payments for Stage 1 are only paid if:

– 80% of eLearning courses are completed
– No open disciplinary investigation or action is in place
– Both the referrer and referred are actively employed by Innovate Trust (i.e. if they leave our employment prior to becoming entitled to the payment they do not receive it).

Stage 2 – up to £300 paid to the referrer once the new employee has successfully completed their probation period with Innovate Trust

Bonus payments for Stage 2 are only paid if:

– All eLearning and classroom courses are completed
– No open disciplinary investigation or action is in place
– Probation is completed within 8 months* (this includes completing AWIF folder and satisfactory probation paperwork handed in)
– Both the referrer and referred individuals remain actively employed by Innovate Trust (i.e. if they leave our employment prior to becoming entitled to the payment they do not receive it).

Reduced payments are made for employees recruited on less than 30 hours per week.

Please take a look below for full details.

We monitor the criteria closely and if all criteria are met payment will be made in the next available payroll. If you have not received any payment and each stage has passed, this could mean that the criteria were not met.

We cannot share with you why the referred individual has not met the criteria, as this is confidential to them, however we will prompt them where we see criteria have not been met, for example if training is outstanding, we will contact the individual with a deadline to complete it.  

The agency member working has been introduced to Innovate Trust by the Agency and not yourself.

Innovate Trust have to pay an introductory fee to the agency whenever an agency member is employed by Innovate Trust. 

We deal with each stage separately. If the person you referred did not meet the required criteria for Stage 1, but did so for Stage 2 you will receive the Stage 2 payment only.

The same would be applied if they met the criteria for Stage 1 and not Stage 2, you will only receive the payment for Stage 1