How To Be Inclusive During The Festive Season.
The festive season is incoming, and we wanted to stress why being inclusive around this time is highly important. While many outside of religious or Christian beliefs now celebrate Christmas, others don’t. Making sure your team feels represented and comfortable is hugely important at this time of year.
We believe everyone should enjoy the festive season, so here are our tips on how best to make this festive season inclusive.
Firstly remember everyone should be able to choose what they partake in during the festive season. No one wants to be forced into celebrating Christmas or any other holiday if it doesn’t align with their beliefs. Ensuring your business lets staff opt-in or out of any festivities is vital for them to feel comfortable. Some employees may feel pressure to attend or fear it will affect their position or future. Businesses need to make it clear people can participate if they want, but it has no bearing on their job. These activities should feel like perks at work rather than a chore.
Equally, when having festive celebrations consider alternatives to typical Christmas festivities and consider how to make them more inclusive. Several holidays can fall around the winter, such as Diwali, Hanukkah, Bohdi Day, Eid al-Fitr, Kwanzaa, Yule, and the Lunar New Year. Avoiding specific religious terms and angling celebrations as ‘festive’, ‘winter’ or ‘end of year’ help keep it open to everyone.
You also want to show that any employees who celebrate Christmas, or any other holiday, can do so without feeling they may offend or be reprimanded.
Similarly, if those who aren’t open to celebrating activities, it is essential not to isolate these individuals and avoid name-calling, however joking they may be. Any Scrooge-type jokes are best left unsaid.
Another way of bridging the gap between those who don’t celebrate Christmas can be by planning new year celebrations instead, or as well. Having a New Years meal can help broaden the appeal while also helping make the somewhat less exciting January seem more appealing. Another element to consider is that not everyone will want to drink. Some Muslims will avoid alcohol, plus pregnant women or those who are sober. So it is good to consider non-alcohol based work celebrations.
In addition, offering celebrations for other religious events or asking staff what holidays they would like to acknowledge can help know how your team feel. Some companies give staff an extra day to take holidays without national holiday status.
Creating a celebratory atmosphere during this time can be great for employee morale. Looking after company spirits is essential to meeting those end of year targets and deadlines. Whether it’s a festive party or a meal out with your team, including ways to enjoy the season can have several benefits. Marking the season with some form of celebration acts as a thank you to staff, but equally, it shows you care about your employees and want to give back. Any way to show appreciation to your employees is great to help everyone feel their hard work is not going unnoticed.
Other ideas can include end of year thank you cards. We recommend ecards to help be more eco friendly. Simple gestures can help create a more positive company culture, and another avenue is employee reward schemes. Especially around this time of year, it’s nice to show your team how much they are valued at your company and give them further incentive to work hard and stay long-term. The happier your employees are, the better the work will be and, therefore, more productive your business. Looking after your staff’s wellbeing is always good for business.
Over this winter period, remember not everyone celebrates the same holidays, but you can all enjoy the festive season in varying ways. Even acknowledging the end of the year and the excellent work achieved is a perfect way to celebrate the season without being exclusive to different beliefs and religions.
Want more advice on inclusivity during this festive season and employee wellbeing? Don’t hesitate to contact us at info@eachperson.com or visit us at www.eachperson.com.
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