First Nations people often take on the ‘cultural load’ in their workplaces

Employers need to ease the burden of ‘cultural load’ on First Nations employees, who are expected to provide Indigenous knowledge, education and support.

It’s good practice for employers to consult staff when forming policies or guidelines. However, for some staff from diverse backgrounds, this creates extra work and pressure.

‘Cultural load’ in the context of the workplace is the invisible workload employers knowingly or unknowingly place on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees to provide Indigenous knowledge, education and support. This is often done without any formally agreed reduction or alteration to their workload.

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