Cultural Leave for Culturally and/or Faith Diverse employees

Future Group is strongly committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion for all our team members. As a business that exists to build a future free from climate change and inequality, it is vital we pursue equity for our staff and stay true to our purpose.

This Cultural Leave policy is a key milestone in the pursuit of our purpose.

1.0 Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to promote the values of equity through the provision of Cultural Leave for culturally and/or faith diverse people at Future Group.

2.0 Scope

This policy applies to all culturally and/or faith diverse Future Group employees. Certain parts of the policy may be applicable to different people based on their role at Future Group, such as managers and independent contractors.

3.0 Cultural Leave for Culturally and/or Faith Diverse People

Permanent and fixed-term culturally and/or faith diverse employees are entitled to paid Cultural Leave days per financial year, at a rate dependent on their hours of work:

• Eligible employees who typically work 30 hours or more per week are entitled to a maximum of up to 4 paid Cultural leave days per financial year.

• Eligible employees who typically work less than 30 hours per week are entitled to a maximum of up to 3 paid Cultural leave days per financial year.

Paid Cultural Leave:

• Does not accrue. Any unused paid Cultural Leave will lapse on 30 June every year and reset on 1 July every year;

• Should be requested with at least 2 weeks’ notice, wherever practicable;

• Can be accessed at any point in a financial year;

• Will not be paid out upon an employee’s departure from Future Group; and

• Can be combined with other types of leave offered by Future Group, except for Self-Care Leave.

Casual Employees and independent contractors do not have any paid leave entitlements. However, Future Group recognises the need for all to observe events significant to their culture and/or faith. All culturally and/or faith diverse casual employees and contractors are entitled to swap out days they usually work where they need to observe events significant to their culture and/or faith to days not usually worked.

3.1 Reasons for Utilising Cultural Leave

Future Group acknowledges the importance of customary and cultural obligations for culturally and/or faith diverse employees. Cultural Leave may be taken for the following purposes:

• Observance, attendance, or celebration of ceremonies or events significant to an employee’s culture and/or faith (e.g. Diwali, Eid, Hanukkah, Lunar New Year and Shraddha etc.)

• Observance, attendance, or celebration of historically significant days or events (National Independence Days, relevant Memorial Days etc.)

The diversity of people, cultures, histories, and experiences means there are numerous cultural, faith, ceremonial, and significant dates Future Group employees might want to participate in. Therefore, this policy does not have a prescriptive list of days or events when employees can use their paid Cultural Leave entitlement.

Culturally and/or faith diverse employees might seek paid leave to observe, attend, or celebrate events significant to their culture and/or faith. Leaders should not expect employees to justify the importance of events when applying for Cultural Leave. Certain traditions and customs may be extremely sensitive, personal or private, and employees might not be comfortable discussing these details with their leader(s) or the company.

Additionally, what is and is not significant to culturally and/or faith diverse employees is rooted in the intersectionality of their identities and should not require any justification. A requirement to “prove” the significance of certain days, dates or events risks additional stigmatisation, with the potential to create an undue psychological burden on employees.

This policy will be effective and inclusive only when employees don’t face barriers or stigma when seeking out Cultural Leave. To reduce these barriers, the responsibility is placed on Future Group leaders to encourage and facilitate Cultural Leave uptake. If a leader seeks to deny a Cultural Leave request from an employee, they’re required to justify this denial to the employee as well as the People & Sustainability team.

4.0 Responsibilities

4.1 Management Responsibilities

Future Group Directors, managers, supervisors and the People & Sustainability Team have a responsibility to:

• Ensure that all employees and independent contractors are made aware of this policy;

• This policy remains easily accessible at all times;

• Uptake of this leave type is monitored and any barriers to people utilising the leave are identified and – where possible – rectified;

• Actively support and contribute to the implementation of this policy, including Future Group’s commitments to provide an equitable and supportive environment for all employees

4.2 Team Member Responsibilities

Team Members have a responsibility to:

• Understand this policy and seek clarification from People and Sustainability or management where required;

• Consider this policy while completing work-related duties and at any time while representing Future Group

• Support fellow team members in their awareness of this policy;

• Support and contribute to Future Group’s aim of providing an equitable and supportive environment for all team members; and

Seek assistance from their leader, supervisors if they have any concerns or are having difficulties in relation to this policy

4.3 Leader Responsibilities

Leaders at Future Group are responsible for:

• Facilitating flexibility for any culturally and/or faith diverse full-time employees, part-time employees, casual employees or independent contractors to observe events significant to their culture and/or faith;

• Not expecting employees to justify the importance of events when applying for Cultural Leave. Certain traditions and customs may be extremely sensitive, personal or private, and employees might not be comfortable discussing these details with their leader or the company;

• Encouraging and facilitating Cultural Leave uptake; and

• Where seeking to deny a Cultural Leave request from an employee, justifying this denial to the employee as well as the People & Culture team.

5.0 Additional Support

All culturally diverse employees are invited to join SuperGlobal, an employee resource group on Slack. Please reach out to People and Sustainability for more details or to join the group.

Reach out to the People and Sustainability if you have any questions, concerns, or feedback (the People and Sustainability team will be able to get support from SuperGlobal where appropriate).

If employees have any questions around this leave entitlement, or think they have been denied leave they are entitled to, please speak to your manager or contact a People and Sustainability team member for next steps.

6.0 Policy Breaches

Non-compliance with this policy may result in disciplinary action (up to and including the termination of employment). To the extent that this policy imposes and obligation on Future Group, it does not form a contractual term, condition or representation.

7.0 Related Policy Documents and Supporting Documents

DEI principles
Anti-racism resources