The holiday season is a time of cheer and coming together, but celebrating holidays in the workplace can be complicated for employers because they have to ensure everyone feels the same holiday magic. Luckily, there are best practices for inclusive holiday celebrations in the workplace for you to use to create a positive work environment during the holiday season. Gestures of gratitude for your employees’ hard work will go a long way during the holiday season, and so will respect for their different cultures and traditions. Not only will this improve engagement and productivity in your organization, but it will ensure you do not expose yourself to the risk of a discrimination lawsuit.
As a legal commentator and media personality, my passion is cutting through the noise and educating the general public on the latest news in employment law, workplace trends, and policies. I am here to help you spread holiday cheer in a way that makes your employees feel seen and helps you avoid the possibility of litigation. Here’s how you can create an inclusive environment this holiday season.
Best Practices for Inclusive Holiday Celebrations in the Workplace
While it may take a little extra attention to detail, you can still make this holiday season a joyous time of togetherness for your diverse team. To do so, there are some best practices for inclusive holiday celebrations in the workplace you should follow:
- Ask Employees What They Want
- Plan Your Parties with Care
- Allocate a Budget for Equitable Celebrations
- Prioritize Community Over Consumerism
- Offer Extra Flexibility if Possible
- Adopt an Open, Learning-Focused Perspective
Related Article: The Importance of Sharing Gratitude in the Workplace
1. Ask Employees What They Want
The best practices for inclusive holiday celebrations in the workplace revolve around your team. Your team is unique to your organization, so ask your employees their opinions on the matter.
First and foremost – ensure all employees feel respected, valued, and heard. This requires creating a safe space for open dialogue so your team can share what holidays or celebrations are important for them and their culture during this time of year.
If you have a party-planning committee, ensure it includes people of various backgrounds and religious beliefs. Get feedback from your team about what holiday activities they would enjoy participating in, and find out what dates and times work best for their schedules.
One useful tactic here could be to survey your team instead of assuming what dates or times work best. For some people, answering a survey will be more comfortable than answering these questions in front of their colleagues or even in person.
This survey should also ask what support your team may need during this time to understand how you need to accommodate them.
2. Plan Your Parties with Care
You also want to ensure your party is non-denominational – it’s easy to default into how you or the majority of your staff celebrate during this time of year. But do not fall into this pitfall and make assumptions. Consider when you are planning festivities, too.
Try to ensure that your celebrations do not overlap with specific holidays. For example, planning a party around New Year’s could be a way to ensure you avoid scheduling conflicts for employees while emphasizing that it is a celebration of your company’s vision and what the new year holds.
Still, if you choose to schedule a party around New Year’s, remember that January 1st does not mark the start of the New Year for everyone – in fact, there are 26 completely different New Year’s Days around the world. Navigating this will require some tact.
Lastly, when planning parties, take plenty of time to be respectful of all your employees’ choices of consumption when choosing food, beverages, and catering, choose event spaces carefully, and choose decor that is festive and cheerful but doesn’t lean too much toward a single celebration.
3. Allocate a Budget for Equitable Celebrations
Celebrating the holidays in the workplace comes with some expenses for employers like you, but these activities are crucial to building a positive company culture.
When planning for celebrations, you want to make sure everyone gets an equal opportunity to make the most of the holiday season. With the help of your survey, you can get an idea of what dates you need to be cognizant of so you can thoughtfully and fairly create a holiday budget.
Your budget should account for more than just the dominant holidays during this time of year. In some situations, reallocating money that would have been spent on a single holiday party to internal initiatives that foster belonging and inclusion could be an ideal approach.
4. Prioritize Community Over Consumerism
Inclusive holiday celebrations in the workplace are about something more meaningful than material gifts – they’re about connecting with colleagues. So prioritize community over consumerism. Purchasing gifts can be a thoughtful gesture, but putting this pressure on your team can be unfair.
This goes beyond tradition, as some people may feel guilt and shame if they cannot afford to buy gifts for workplace activities. Instead, focus on the core values that holidays share, and allow your team to educate and incorporate some values from their cultural celebrations.
Further, instead of buying gifts for team members, consider supporting small, local businesses owned by people who experience marginalization or having your team choose a charity to make an organization-wide donation to.
5. Offer Extra Flexibility if Possible
If your organization gives time off for some religious holidays but not others, reconsider this approach and offer flexible holiday leave that employees can put toward the holidays they celebrate.
Also, remember this time of year can be stressful for many team members, so take a well-rounded approach to productivity during this busy time of the year. We also advise giving some wiggle room to attend spouse’s holiday parties and school events, or to allow for extra travel time to visit family.
It’s advisable to allow all activities to be completely volitional. More importantly, however, you should not pressure your employees to participate, even if they are optional. Clearly established and documented policies surrounding celebrations could be helpful.
6. Adopt an Open, Learning-Focused Perspective
To truly foster an inclusive workplace during the holidays, you should encourage your employees to share how they celebrate with one another if they are comfortable doing so. Ultimately, being open-minded is one of the best practices for inclusive holiday celebrations in the workplace.
You can create structured events, like a potluck, to cultivate sharing, or you can simply encourage your department leaders and employees to read up on different cultural celebrations on their own. Your goal should be to acknowledge, validate, and celebrate diversity – not specific holidays.
In Southern California, for example, where there is a large Hispanic population, offering an opportunity to have a Posada could be a great cross-cultural learning experience!
Thought Leader, Media Personality, Professional Speaker, & Legal Commentator on Best Practices for Inclusive Holiday Celebrations in the Workplace
Understanding the best practices for inclusive holiday celebrations in the workplace is imperative for both employees and employers. For employees, it is essential to understand how to make their colleagues feel seen to ensure an inclusive and positive work environment; for employers, this creates a great company culture and avoids the risk of a discrimination lawsuit. I am an expert on the nuances of discussing politics in the workplace and all aspects of employment law and am uniquely positioned and qualified to provide expert insight and analysis on all employment law issues. These issues can be complex, so you need a seasoned legal professional to shed light on them. My passion is being a beacon in uncertain times of transition that provides that light.
Employment Law Thought Leader & Professional Speaker on Best Practices for Inclusive Holiday Celebrations in the Workplace, Employment Law Trends, and Breaking Employment Law News
In this tumultuous political climate, understanding best practices for inclusive holiday celebrations in the workplace is crucial for employees and employers alike. I am a former employment and labor law attorney turned mediator, ADR, and conflict resolution specialist who believes it is imperative to stay current with groundbreaking changes to employment law for employees and employers alike. My passion is educating the general public on recent developments in employment law and the workplace trends that impact them as a thought leader and legal commentator. As such, I am uniquely qualified to address the issue of discussing politics in the workplace. My more than 20 years of experience as a media legal analyst and contributor led to my radio show on Tavis Smiley’s KBLA Talk 1580, “Legal Lens with Angela Reddock.” I also am a regular speaker and blogger on employment law and issues related to the workplace.
For media inquiries, please reach out to josh@kwsmdigital.com.
For more information regarding mediation and dispute resolution resources for both employees and employers, let’s connect on LinkedIn for new updates or contact me here. You may also follow me on Instagram.
This communication is not legal advice. It is educational only. For legal advice, consult with an experienced employment law attorney in your state or city.