On one side of Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa (the Pacific Ocean), many Māori workers have been there: eyeballed by the boss to do a karakia (recite a prayer), a blessing or organise Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week) activities and celebrations. On the other side of the Tasman, Indigenous peoples are called on again and again to explain history to their workmates or bosses, making employees the resident expert on everything First Nations.

It’s what’s known as cultural burden or cultural load: the tasks that employees are expected to do because of who they are, all on an unpaid basis.

What the research says

In 2020, Gari Yala, a report by the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research, surveyed more than 1000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers. It found widespread experiences of racism, lack of cultural safety and identity strain in workplaces. Those experiences were affecting wellbeing and job satisfaction.

More than three-quarters (78%) of respondents said it was important for them to identify as Indigenous within their workplace. Yet two-thirds (63%) experienced a high level of identity strain – when workers feel they, or others, view their identity as not meeting the norms or expectations of the dominant culture in the workplace.

In addition, more than a third (39%) reported carrying the burden of high cultural load, often linked to the expectation to educate others and represent all Indigenous people, as well as extra work demands.

The University of Technology Sydney’s Professor Nareen Young led the research and says a follow-up report will be published soon on what progress has been made or not made in the past five years.

When good intentions create cultural load

Young believes there’s a lot of goodwill at many businesses across Australia. She’s seen it in action, as a member of First Nations advisory boards including one at NAB.

“I think there’s some very genuine people in business,” she says. “Organisations have reconciliation action plans, which is great and really positive.”

Still, Indigenous workers are often – and in some cases continually – asked to explain or justify history by colleagues.

“It’s the ignorance of white Australians and our people having to share knowledge all the time in ways that are really difficult,” Young says. “There’s some really inappropriate challenging of identity and having to justify to people what you are and who you are. People having to talk about why we have special employment programs and talk about the exclusion that our people experienced in terms of the labour market and education, and why we’re playing catch-up now and why we have to play catch-up.

“And you know most people just want to go to work and do their job. But we do want to be celebrated for our identity as well. So, it’s complex.”

Mahi problems

Massey University’s Jarrod Haar is a professor of management and Māori business in the School of Management. He’s researching aronga takirua (cultural double shift) that Māori employees perform – essentially their own job plus whatever else is needed.

An employee might be asked to organise a pōwhiri (welcoming ceremony) to welcome visiting Chinese clients, for instance. If the business is located in Auckland, that might involve asking Ngāti Whātua, a central city tribe, to lead that welcome on their own whenua (land).

It’s not a matter of just sending an email and the event happens magically, Haar says.

“A lot of employers want to engage in a genuinely positive way but they have no idea how much time and how many people are involved. I think from a Māori perspective, an employee perspective, we think ‘Oh, OK, I’ll be on the committee’. But you’re the only Māori and you end up doing all the work.”

There’s also the matter of relationship building between the business and any Indigenous group. That doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time to build trust.

“If you genuinely want to establish a relationship, we’ve got to acknowledge that it will take way more time than you think,” Haar says.

Simply put, it can lead to burnout.

“You know you’ve got to show up to work the next day and be performing. I don’t think from a human resource perspective we spend enough time recognising that additional workload, compensating it or making allowances.”

Practical ways to reduce cultural burden

Haar says he wants employers to recognise that the simple fixes are the best. That might mean taking staff off normal duties to focus on the cultural project only.

“In a perfect world, we would say, ‘Hey, for the next two weeks I just want you to focus on doing this stuff’. Reinforce that knowledge and perspective is of overall benefit by offering support, by saying something like: ‘Make us look good because that’s ultimately what you’re doing’.”

If the work is longer term in nature, employers might consider changing a worker’s job description and figuring out what an equitable outcome might be, including compensation, Haar says.

Young says some Indigenous workers might not want to do the project if additional hours are involved and assumptions should not be made about that. Staff may not have the extra work time to spare, they might’ve been part of the Stolen Generations or they may not feel it’s their place to speak on behalf of the collective.

Commemorations such as NAIDOC Week don’t have to rest on the shoulders of a few, she adds. “That load should be shared by everyone.”

Finally, businesses should consider earmarking money early on.

“They should allocate budget and resources to that because that’s exactly the point,” says Young. “If you’re going to expend work, then you need to be paid for it.”