Cultural load refers to expectations placed on people from diverse backgrounds to act as educators and representatives for their culture. Examples of cultural load in the workplace for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people include:
- being expected to educate others about all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures including reviewing other teams’ work for cultural appropriateness
- being expected to speak on behalf of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people or share personal stories that relate to culture, history and racism
- being asked to deliver Welcome to Country and/or Acknowledgement of Country, or organise and contribute to cultural events when this is not part of their role
- being asked to undertake community engagement or deliver cultural training components when this is not part of their role.
What actions can I consider?
- Learn about cultural load and racism at work from the resources below and share with your team.
- Audit your current processes and ways of working that may be knowingly and unknowingly placing a cultural load on your Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff.
- Offer an employee assistance program that provides culturally appropriate support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff.
Where can I learn more?
- Read about how Murdoch University recognises the cultural contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff.
- Explore the Australian Public Service Commission's insights on cultural load and its impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff.
- Learn from the Australian HR Institute how employers can recognise and address the cultural load experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees in the workplace.
Print this page
