Deloitte boosts inclusion with flexible public holidays offering

Employees at Deloitte will now be able to choose when they take public holidays, as the firm steps up its agenda to boost inclusion.

The move follows 2021’s launch of Deloitte Works, which outlines its flexible and inclusive approach to hybrid work.

22,000 UK staff members will now get to enjoy the additional work perk, which was put in place following an internal survey that revealed people at the professional services firm most value flexibility, trust and inclusion.

Jackie Henry, managing partner for people & purpose, explained: “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.”

She added that the new approach will allow employees to choose to take public holiday leave on the dates that are most meaningful to them, which can be taken alongside 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,” she continued.

Fixing flexibility

In an effort to enhance flexibility, Deloitte has also started to roll out new transformations to its UK offices, which will see the introduction of more collaborative spaces, as well as new audio and video technology to better enable hybrid meetings.

Commenting on this, Stephen Griggs, managing partner UK at Deloitte, stated: “The flexibility of our hybrid working model has changed the purpose of our offices. The feedback from our people has been that they want to use our workspace for collaboration, connection and networking.

“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.”

New joiners will also be given a £500 budget, which was provided to its UK workforce at the start of the pandemic, to ensure that all workers have access to the equipment they need while working from home.

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