Religious holidays

The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) will be the first government department to allow employees to swap statutory bank holidays for the religious and cultural holidays of their choice.

This means that for the first time this year, staff could work at home on Christmas Day in exchange for a day off for a different religious festival or cultural tradition. These could include Eid, Diwali, Ramadan or Yom Kippur, pagan festivals such as the summer solstice or St George’s Day. The scheme will affect 2,600 civil servants.

DCSF human resources director Anne Copeland, said: “We already have excellent flexible working arrangements ... but I believe this strengthens them further and takes account of the diverse needs of the workforce.”