Inclusive PTO for Religious Freedom

• Author: Brett Hettrick
• Posted: October 10, 2007
• Category: Employee Retention, Business Matters
• Tags: Employee Retention, holidays, hr, Performance Staffing, pto, religion, work schedule
• Comments:

Employers in the United States typically follow the traditional Christian calendar when it comes to offering time-off to their employees. But organizations compete for business in a variety of faith-based and non-faith-based communities, and their time-off calendar should reflect that sense of inclusiveness.

Some employees look for companies that provide an environment congruent with their own faith-based system, while others look for the flexibility to remove themselves from any particular faith-based schedule. How does HR address the needs of a workforce who, in some cases, do not share the faith system the organization has traditionally followed or who choose not to follow the traditions of any faith-based system?

In search of a solution, progressive HR leaders and organizations are expanding their definitions of PTO. These organizations simply add the number of official holidays to the employees’ PTO plan…and then they remove the holidays. Those who want the traditional holiday off can take the day off, but those who don’t observe the holiday are free to come into work if they want. This allows each of the employees in the organization to use PTO time in a manner that is consistent with their own values.

In our work with Performance Staffing, we’ve found this transition is especially easy for those organizations already observing faith-based holidays that fall outside the traditional Christian calendar (not as a replacement for the traditional holidays, but as an addition). These organizations are already predisposed to recognizing the importance of faith-based holidays, and they value the sense of community that arises when the organization respects the PTO needs of all its employees.

If you’re interested in discussing how your organization can transition to an inclusive PTO plan, please don’t hesitate to contact us today.