In 2021 we asked for colleagues to form a Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging group and had an incredible response. This is an employee led group with sponsors from our Executive team with the aim of promoting, celebrating, and driving diversity, inclusion and belonging within the firm.
The first company initiative launched last year from this group were flexible bank holidays. Their valuable insight has meant we have been able to implement a policy and the messaging around it.
What are flexible bank holidays?
We recognise that employees celebrate a variety of cultural, faith and religious events and we actively encourage our employees to bring their whole selves to work.
This approach gives colleagues the opportunity to flex’ bank holidays, allowing them to exchange traditional UK holidays for those that have cultural or religious significance to them. We recognise that many of the traditional UK bank holidays are based on Christian faith holidays and some may prefer to work this day and take their bank holiday date at another time of significance for them.
There are a huge amount of religious celebrations that flexible public holidays can be used for, a few examples include (by no means an exhaustive list)
Diwali, Vaisakhi, Eid al-Fitr, Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah, Eid al-Adha, Hanukkah, Passover, Maha Shivaratra, Yuan Tan, Ramadan, Isra and Mi’raj, Purim, Holi, Chinese New Year and Mahayana
Our aim is for everyone to feel part of one team here at Stowe. Working together whilst celebrating the unique contributions every individual makes is how we will succeed and reach our goals.