Flexible Holidays at Hyve: Making time for what matters

Public holidays give us valuable time off, but the dates they fall on don’t always reflect the moments that matter most to everyone. 

Whether it’s spending time with family, celebrating a religious or cultural occasion, or something else entirely, our Flexible Holiday benefit gives colleagues the option to swap certain recognised holidays for another day that matters more to them. 

Emily, Anna-Marie and Zena, share what that flexibility has meant for them and their loved ones. 

I used our Flexible Holiday benefit to celebrate Passover with my family. Before joining Hyve, being able to be at home for the Jewish holidays wasn’t always a given. I lived up in Saratoga Springs for four years and in previous jobs I didn’t always have enough Paid Time Off to take the Jewish holidays off. That meant there were years where I missed out on holidays that have always meant a lot to my family.

I’m grateful to have the flexibility to spend that time with my family. There’s also something very special about everyone stepping away from the day-to-day, intentionally slowing down at the dinner table and continuing the traditions we grew up with.

One of my favourite parts of the day was getting to experience those traditions through my niece’s eyes. Watching her take it all in and eagerly match her Seder plate to my parents’ Seder plate made a familiar family tradition feel new again. 

The Public Holiday fell during the crucial weeks before Shoptalk Europe and choosing to work was a vital opportunity to double down on our efforts and make sure the show was the best ever. I was able to get childcare sorted (thanks to Grandma) so I knew I could work that day and use the Flexible Holiday benefit to take the day at another point in the weeks that followed. I was hoping to use the day to spend time with my baby or my older children during the holidays. 

But, unbeknownst to me, my husband had booked a couple days away for us to celebrate my (big) birthday! I don’t really like to make a fuss about mine, I’d rather celebrate everyone else’s, but this year he ignored me in the best way possible with a surprise. We went to Lake Como, somewhere I’ve always wanted to go but never had the chance to. It was our first trip away together with our one-year-old, so it felt super special. Having the option to swap the day meant I could use it to extend our mini trip without having to use as much of my annual leave. 

And that’s what made the flexibility particularly valuable to me. It wasn’t just about being able to extend our trip; taking the public holiday at a time that worked better for me meant I could save more of my annual leave for the school holidays. Being able to swap public holidays and make more time for the moments that are important to me and my family makes such a difference. 

I used the Flexible Holiday benefit to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan. After a month of fasting from sunrise to sunset, Eid is a chance to celebrate, spend time with family and, most importantly in our household, enjoy a lot of food! 

In the Khan household, preparations start early. By 7am, two breakfast dishes are usually ready and the biryani for lunch and dinner is already well underway. Everyone brings an impressive selection of cakes, biscuits and traditional South Asian sweets and throughout the day, neighbours, friends and family share plates of their delicious delicacies too.  

The men of the household head to the mosque for Eid prayers in the morning and once they’re home, it’s time for breakfast. One of the traditional dishes is paya, a South Asian stew made by slow-cooking goat trotters. I personally opt for the chicken curry instead — and yes, chicken curry for breakfast is a household tradition! And why not? It’s Eid! By around 2pm, most of us are firmly in a food coma.

The rest of the day is all about family and community. Everyone dresses in their best outfits, the doorbell seems to ring every five minutes with friends and relatives arriving to wish us Eid Mubarak, and we make our own rounds visiting the elders in the family. It’s busy, loud, full of food and people — and that’s exactly what makes it special.

Having the flexibility to move a public holiday to another day means I can be there for an important religious and family celebration without using my annual leave. For me, it’s a great example of how a bit of flexibility can help people feel that the moments and traditions that matter to them are recognised and valued — while letting me spend the day exactly where I want to be: surrounded by family, eating far too much biryani!