Deloitte has announced it is to allow its UK staff to choose when to take public holidays.
In what is being seen as the latest example of firms offering more flexible working practices in the aftermath of Covid-19, 22,000 employees at the professional services giant will be able to work on bank holidays including Christmas Day, but take an extra day off at another time.
Jackie Henry, managing partner for people at Deloitte, said: “Our new approach means that our people can choose to take public holiday leave on the dates that are most meaningful to them, in addition to their contractual and purchased holiday allowance
“They are still entitled to take public holidays on the days they fall, or they can take these days off at a different time of the year if they prefer.”
The company also announced that new and recent joiners would receive £500 – the same amount paid to Deloitte’s UK workforce at the start of the pandemic – to ensure they have the right equipment to work from home.
Leave and bank holidays
A similar “flexible public holidays” policy was introduced at professional services firm Grant Thornton last year. Other organisations to have introduced similar initiatives include Spotify and law firm Herbert Smith Freehills in its Australian operations.
Grant Thornton said the policy would help employees take time off on the days that matter most to them “whether it’s a holiday to celebrate Easter instead of Easter, or a day off during Pride Month.”
Henry, at Deloitte, said flexible public holidays was in effect part of the companies diversity drive. She said: “We are committed to creating an inclusive environment – an environment in which people feel they belong and are most able to thrive, while respecting different individual backgrounds and circumstances.”
Last year, Deloitte announced it was allowing employees to decide when, where, and how they worked and was introducing a digital learning programme for all staff on the climate crisis to help them make responsible choices at work and at home.
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