Deloitte to offer flexible approach to public holidays
As professional services firms look to provide more flexibility in their schedules, Deloitte has offered its UK staff the chance to choose when they take leave from public holidays.
The coronavirus pandemic has brought many workplace issues to a head in recent months. One of the most prominent items on the agenda has been the desire for workplace flexibility. After working from home for the best part of two years, many staff have enjoyed better work-life balances, while showing they can be just as productive from home as from the office.
Responding to this, many consulting firms have rolled out changed offers regarding when and where they expect staff to work. In late 2021, Grant Thornton announced its UK wing would allow employees to choose when to use leave time from public holidays. Now, Deloitte’s British employees will also be presented with that opportunity.
Deloitte’s UK Managing Partner for People & Purpose Jackie Henry said, “A recent survey showed that the things our people value the most about our new work model are flexibility, trust and inclusion. Four out of five also said that they feel more productive in a hybrid work setting. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment – one where people feel like they belong and are better able to thrive, respecting different backgrounds and individual circumstances.”
The company’s 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.
More and more, Deloitte is looking to change the use of the office in its daily life. Looking ahead, coming into work will be focused on collaborative work, rather than seen as a cure-all for every situation. Deloitte staff are being supported in this shift to hybrid working by extending a £500 budget for home office equipment to new and recent joiners, to ensure all its workers are supported with an effective home working set up.
UK Managing Partner Stephen Griggs commented, “We’re introducing new work settings and technology, to make it easier for our people to work together and with clients. These spaces will be supported by additional high-quality audio and video, including 360-degree cameras to transform hybrid meetings and create a more inclusive way of working, regardless of location. We’ll also explore ideas for transforming our offices across the UK to allow us to work more collaboratively, both with our clients and our communities. We’ll test all of these new work set-ups with our people, and gather their feedback, so we understand what works and what doesn’t.”
How much more flexibility the changes to public holiday leave will allow staff remains to be seen, though. Nationally, the UK has one of the smallest numbers of public holidays in Europe. The average pay from those holidays is lower than many other nations too. Employees in Britain only take home an estimated £570 in pay from public holidays, or an estimated £71.26 per day on this basis, compared to Switzerland at £130.45 per day.
