Staff Benefits and services for staff

Benefits and services for staff

Learn about the range of benefits and services for JCU staff, both on and off campus.

Salary & benefits

JCU staff members enjoy a wide range of benefits alongside the tropical sunny lifestyle North Queensland is famous for in Townsville and Cairns and the unique culture of Singapore, including:

At JCU, we are committed to fostering an environment where staff can thrive. Our aim is to empower you to achieve your work goals, enhance your skills, and progress toward your career aspirations, all while contributing to the university’s success.

We offer a wide range of professional development and training opportunities tailored to support your growth. For further details, refer to JCU’s Performance, Development and Recognition Policy.

Professional Development Opportunities

  • Staff training: Explore our extensive catalogue of courses to find the right fit for your development.
  • LinkedIn Learning: Access a vast library of free, unlimited online courses. Simply sign in with your JCU email address.
  • Staff Study Assistance: Eligible staff may access paid study leave and financial assistance to support approved professional development activities.
  • Performance and Development Framework:  JCU’s Performance Development and Planning Process aligns your career aspirations and opportunities with university priorities.
  • Special Studies Program: Provides eligible academic staff the opportunity to undertake an appropriate program of research or study.
  • Leadership Development: Enhance your leadership capabilities through targeted training and opportunities.
  • Secondment Opportunities: Broaden your experience with professional, technical, teaching, and research secondments.

Career Development

At JCU, we recognise that career progression is a vital consideration when choosing a workplace. That’s why we are committed to fostering an environment where our staff can reach their full potential.

Opportunities for Growth

We offer a variety of learning and development programs and numerous career opportunities for both internal and external candidates. For our internal staff, we encourage horizontal movement to explore diverse roles or vertical advancement to grow within their career pathways. Other opportunities include:

  • Academic Promotion: This program supports academic and doctoral-qualified research staff covered by the current JCU Enterprise Agreement, providing a clear framework for career progression.
  • Vice Chancellor’s Awards: These awards recognize and celebrate outstanding contributions, encouraging excellence across all areas of work.

JCU is dedicated to supporting your professional journey, helping you achieve your aspirations while contributing to the success of our university community.

JCU's Salary Packaging Program affords all current JCU staff members employed on a permanent or fixed-term basis, the benefits of salary sacrifice and flexible remuneration. This includes motor vehicle leasing, airport lounge membership, portable electronic devices, professional development expenses etc.  Please refer to individual provider brochures for a comprehensive list of options.
Find out more about the salary packaging program.

Pay

Pay-related services include end to end payroll processing; packaged benefits; deductions processing and superannuation processing for JCU staff. The Remuneration Team is focused on ensuring our pay functions remain compliant to legislative, tax and superannuation requirements.

Leave

Access Support

For individualised support, submit a request through the HR Hub in the Service Portal, selecting the option that best describes your enquiry type. Enter your query and submit to have your request routed to the right HR team, who will respond as soon as possible.

JCU provides lifestyle-friendly work practices to support staff to balance work and home.

Flexible Working Arrangements

You may be able to access adjusted working arrangement, and/or flexible start and finish times to enable shorter and longer working days and/or weeks. All Individual Flexibility Agreements (IFA), need to be discussed and agreed upon with your Supervisor.

Remote Working Arrangements

JCU recognises the importance of, and the benefits of, Remote Working Arrangements (RWA) in the attraction and retention of staff. JCU acknowledges the need to balance this benefit to staff with the creation of a vibrant on-campus experience and a positive workplace culture.

JCU is part of the Optus Employee Advantage Program, meaning that JCU employees, you, and up to four family and friends, can get additional benefits and discounts on selected Optus mobile phones, plans and home internet.
Find out more in Mobile phone employee discount, am I eligible and how do I access it?

JCU may grant assistance towards the travel expenses for new staff members and their families to move to the city where they will be located for their work. 
See JCU's Relocation Assistance Policy and Procedure for further information.

Support, health & wellbeing services

JCU has a diverse range of benefits designed to contribute towards improving staff health and wellbeing.

The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provides professional, confidential counselling and support 24/7, and is free for:

  • permanent (continuing) and fixed-term, full-time and part-time JCU staff, as well as casual JCU staff members, and
  • immediate family members and members of the household of the eligible employee.

The program is managed by independent external company who contract qualified, experienced counselling professionals. These counsellors have extensive training in personal and group counselling as well as workplace consulting.

JCU has a number of groups that act as support for staff and provide a mechanism for staff input into University policies and procedures.

JCU Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Staff Network

  • The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Staff Network is a platform for sharing Community and JCU news that may be of particular interest to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff. Communications are sent to Network members and we also assist in arranging a twice-yearly informal lunch.
    The Network is a great was for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff to connect across all campuses of the University.

    Provided you have indicated your Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander heritage in your HR staff information you will be automatically included in the Network.

JCU Equity Contact Officer (ECO) Network

  • Members of the ECO Network are current JCU staff who have volunteered to be a point of contact for staff and students seeking guidance on available options in addressing issues of bullying, harassment and discrimination.  ECO’s are committed to the principles of equity, procedural fairness and natural justice. They have an understanding of the University’s workplace policies and procedures and can guide individuals around options available to them.

JCU Pride Network

  • The JCU Pride Network is a group of LGBTQIA+ staff and allies who promote an inclusive environment on campus through the promotion of LGBTIQA+ events and information sharing.

Joining a Group

If you wish to join any of the groups you can email staffequitydiversity@jcu.edu.au or contact  the Cultural and Capability Team through the JCU Service Portal and lodge your request under General Diversity and Equity Enquiry.

Medibank Health Insurance Discount

James Cook University (JCU) have partnered with Medibank to bring you a new staff benefit. 
The offer gives all James Cook University employees a 5% discount off Medibank’s corporate range, designed specifically for corporate Australia.  View information about how to apply  for the Medibank discount in the knowledge base.

Queensland Country Health Insurance Discount

As a JCU employee you are eligible for a corporate discount on your health insurance premium with Queensland Country Health Fund. Please refer to our knowledge article QCHF discount on health insurance explaining for further information.

As an employee of James Cook University, you and your immediate family members are eligible for a Fitness Passport. This will enable you and your family members to use multiple gyms and pools in the area at a very low cost.

  • Townsville: There is a medical centre on the Townsville campus called JCU Health – General Practice Clinic, located on Level 1 of the Clinical Practice Building (ph. 4781 4495).
  • Cairns: A variety of health services are available within walking distance of the Cairns campus, and at shopping centres north and south of the campus in Smithfield and Trinity Beach.

JCU recognises the importance of investing in its staff and through this Agreement aims to support JCU as an Employer of Choice by:

  • Supporting a culture of performance, innovation and continuous improvement which recognises and rewards high performance;
  • Providing the opportunity for staff to develop their skills to effectively perform their roles and develop their careers;
  • Allowing JCU to manage flexibly and responsibly to meet the challenges of the future;
  • Streamlining and simplifying conditions of employment;
  • Increasing organisational productivity and efficiency;
  • Minimising unnecessary prescription and support costs;
  • Supporting an environmentally friendly workplace; and
  • Maintaining a safe and healthy working environment and workplace free of bullying and harassment.

Additional information is located in JCU's full Enterprise Agreement.

One of the world's leading institutions focusing on the tropics, JCU is surrounded by the spectacular ecosystems of the rainforests of the Wet tropics, the dry savannahs, and the iconic Great Barrier Reef. Our unique location enables students from Australia and overseas to study in a diverse physical environment unparalleled by any university in the world.

Our employees come from many backgrounds, promoting a rich cultural and experiential diversity on campus. We recognise our special obligation to be relevant to our own region and have forged close linkages into the economy and social fabric of northern Queensland.

An international University as reflected in our people, our places, and our research, we take quiet pride in being recognised as a leading tertiary institution in Australia, our Asia-Pacific region and among the universities of the world.

JCU has a variety of teams, groups and communities that staff can become involved with.  Some teams, groups or communities are accessible to all JCU staff, while others are only visible to specific groups or particular staff members.
A list of communities and groups can be accessed from our Staff Communities and Groups page.

JCU offers a range of services, including free staff counselling and wellbeing support through our Employee Assistance Program, access to Equity Contact Officers, staff networks for LGBTIQA+ staff, employment initiatives for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, as well as working with other diverse groups across the University.

All staff have a responsibility to behave in a respectful and equitable manner towards other staff, students and members of the community as detailed in the Code of Conduct.

Alumni

You are considered an alumni of JCU if you are a current or former academic and professional staff member who has worked at JCU for at least one year.  For additional information please refer to the JCU Alumni knowledge article.

Have a question about staff benefits?

Check out the Knowledge Base in Service Now.