Pepsi introduces unique public holiday policy for staff
PepsiCo has introduced a new concept allowing its employees to swap some Australian public holidays for ones more significant to them.
The food and beverage company introduced “floating cultural holidays” last year to its Australian and New Zealand business.
PepsiCo senior HR director Shiona Watson told Yahoo7 the policy came as an opportunity to promote the company’s “flexibility and cultural sensitivity”.
“We introduced the policy in mid-2017 for salaried employees,” she said.
“It gives our employees the ability to swap some public holidays for ones more culturally significant to them.”
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Ms Watson explained PepsiCo would keep Easter, Anzac Day and Australia Day on the calendar, and these holidays couldn’t be swapped. Employees have to take these days off.
“Anzac Day is important from an Australian perspective,” she said.
“While closing at the end of the year around Christmas time is just good business sense.
“However, if someone wants to work the Queen’s Birthday or Labour Day public holidays and celebrate Chinese New Year or Eid then we can facilitate that.
“We just substitute them.”
Ms Watson added the company was allowing two days each year to be swapped. She said the policy was “open principle” and an “ongoing process”.
“It’s an initiative we felt identified local needs. I’m not sure if our overseas offices are doing the same thing,” she said.
“That being said, it’s open principle and subject to review. However, at this stage we have no specific commitment to review it. We’re getting good feedback.
“It’s just one initiative we’ve introduced to promote flexibility and cultural sensitivity.”
