Australia enjoys a higher cultural diversity than ever before, thanks to immigration and the neo-local spread of the family structure. Thus, Australia is recognised as one of the most multicultural countries in the world. With greater multiculturalism comes the need for customised funeral services. Rather than cater to a select group, modern funeral homes have made their facilities multicultural spaces. Notably, it has allowed them to offer funeral services to almost all ethnic groups in the country. However, respect is paramount for new facilities that desire to accommodate different cultures. This article highlights ways that startup funeral homes can show respect to multicultural funeral rituals.

Multicultural Resource Centre

Most people view funeral homes as mere spaces where families and relatives take the bodies of deceased loved ones in preparation for burial or cremation. While the two are the core services offered by funeral homes, they are not the only ones. For instance, a modern funeral home should offer a space for reflection on issues regarding death and grieving. In this regard, some homes include a resource centre where mourners can read and learn more about death. Therefore, if you plan to offer multicultural funeral services, including literature covering only one culture would be disrespectful. However, if you offer Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, and secular funeral services, your resource centre must include literature covering all the faiths. Your clients will find it respectful and appreciate your services.

Talk to Community Leaders

Funeral homes, especially those operating in culturally diverse communities, must realise they do not operate in a vacuum. You cannot claim to offer funeral services that cater to different cultures in your community and ignore the leaders in those ethnicities. Community leaders know more about their cultures than a layperson. Moreover, not everyone is willing to explain everything about their culture to strangers. Therefore, community leaders are the best people to help you customise funeral services in a respectful way to mourners. Therefore, talk to leaders of the different local communities regularly to enhance the quality of your multicultural funeral services.

Hire Multicultural Workforce

Staff can make or break a funeral home that offers multicultural funeral services. For instance, your clientele might find it disrespectful that you offer Buddhist and Muslim funeral services, but your workforce is primarily Christian. Therefore, it is advisable to hire a workforce that matches the different cultures that your funeral home caters to. It is advantageous on two fronts; firstly, the staff understands their cultural funeral rituals and practices. Secondly, clients will be more willing to work with your funeral home if they know someone within your staff who belongs to their community.

Whether you want to hold Asian funerals or ones for people with Christian backgrounds, consider the points above.