What we offer
The Aghsan Foundation strives to provide safe working conditions, valuable employee benefits and opportunities for learning and development – all in a collaborative environment.
Focus on safety | Compensation and benefits | Learning
Focus on safety, security and health
The Aghsan Foundation sees staff safety, security and health not only as a legal but also as a moral obligation, to provide, to the extent possible, safe and secure working conditions for our employees.
Safety and security are integrated aspects of our work
We have security policies and systems in place through:
- Operating procedures: Risk assessment, reporting systems, security and crisis management policies, medical and evacuation plans, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
- Integration and training of employees: Information packages as part of the job offer, an induction period of three months, training and briefings, and performance management.
Assessing and mitigating risk
We constantly maintain and improve our health, safety and security management system, to ensure that risks are always assessed and mitigated in a reasonable manner. However, risk will always be present in our working environment. If a situation should escalate, we have a well-established crisis management system in place.
Stress and health support in the field
The Aghsan Foundation offers medical and psychosocial assistance and insurance. We will strive to take care of you, but your health and wellbeing will always be a personal responsibility and we expect you to take good care of yourself.
In our field of work, some stress is unavoidable. Hence, we have strengthened our staff care system to provide our employees with adequate support for reducing work-related stress and building resilience.
Compensation and benefits
Contracts
Our contract lengths vary. They are determined in line with the needs and funding of our programmes.
The Aghsan Foundation’s local contracts will vary from fixed term to open-ended.
- The Aghsan Foundation international contracts are temporary, usually lasting 12 or 24 months but subject to extension.
- The terms of employment for national contracts are based on the Aghsan Foundation standards, but adapted to local laws. The terms of employment for international staff are the same whatever the duty station.
Compensation and benefits
Following a principle of internal equity, all jobs within the Aghsan Foundation are evaluated and graded using the Aghsan Foundation Grade Profiling Structure.
For each job grade, we offer salaries in line with the local market. In the spirit of the humanitarian work we do, we do not offer salaries at the top end of the market. For our lowest pay grade, we take into account the need to provide a living wage within each country.
Allowances for international employees: international employees are entitled to allowances for housing and home travel. In several locations we also have cost of living and hardship allowances.
Social protection
The social protection we offer varies according to the duty station, local labour law and type of contract. But the Aghsan Foundation minimum standards relating to e.g. holidays, sick pay and parental leave apply.
Pensions: national staff are affiliated to local laws and systems. International staff are offered a competitive pension plan.
Insurance: all staff are covered by death and disability insurance. International staff are covered by complimentary travel insurance and medical insurance.
Learning and development
Learn on the job
The Aghsan Foundation’s collaborative working style favours the exchange of good practice and lessons learnt. At the Aghsan Foundation, employees learn on the job and are encouraged to look for opportunities to develop new competencies. The Aghsan Foundation managers prioritise the quality work and the competency development of their staff. This entails:
- Giving newcomers a good start.
- Following up, training and mentoring employees to allow them to perform well in their current job
- Offering learning and development programmes
Our training supports employees either to perform well in their current job, or to advance into new positions, aligning their skills and capabilities to the Aghsan Foundation’s organisational needs.
Induction programme
We welcome all new employees with an information package. On the operational side, the new employee’s line manager will monitor them during a three-month induction period and make sure to:
- Secure a handover with the previous job holder.
- Familiarise the newcomer with the Aghsan Foundation’s ways of operating.
- Sign the employee up for for one of the “Aghsan Foundation Way” induction courses, and make time for online learning in the employee’s work schedule.
- Set work and development objectives.
- Conduct a trial period review with the new employee
