Ahead of a number of important religious festivals in April – including Easter, Passover and Eid – the policy will allow employees of all faiths to exchange Christian bank holidays in order to observe other religious holidays, celebrations or events, the company said.

In a calendar year, the UK typically celebrates eight bank holidays. However, many of these are Christian holidays, such as Easter and Christmas. The policy aims to create a more inclusive working culture that recognises other religious holidays.

As part of its growth plan, Billion Dollar Boy will double the size of its US operations year-on-year until 2025, as well as expanding its European footprint to include offices and new hires in Berlin and the Nordics.

To support its growing and increasingly diverse workforce, the agency also offers a comprehensive flexible working policy to improve employee motivation, reduce stress and enable employees to pursue other priorities – including religious commitments. Billion Dollar Boy accommodates part-time employment and flexible start and end times around core hours of 10am-4pm. 

“The agency also provides flexibility for those who are fasting for religious purposes, including supporting current employees with improved flexible remote working allowances,” the company said.

“A cultural awareness training programme is also ongoing, incorporating external experts to raise awareness around all faiths and culture with the aim of creating a tolerant and inclusive workforce.”

Sadie Joy, people director of Billion Dollar Boy, said: “Businesses and their people teams must be prepared to accommodate an increasingly broad range of faiths and cultures to reflect an ever more diverse society.

“Launching the ‘flexible bank holidays’ policy was therefore a no-brainer, but not something we’ve seen widely across the industry and beyond. In the UK, a country which has historically prioritised Christian working practices and culture, it’s time to re-assess how we observe non-Christian religious celebrations and facilitate employees to celebrate them in a fair and equitable way.”

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