Inclusive holiday parties - everything you need to consider when planning your end-of-year celebrations
The holidays are an opportunity for employees to bond over social events and release the tension of a year well-worked, but they can also be a source of concern for managers and employees alike.
For Managers, creating a celebratory atmosphere of acceptance and equality where all their employees are heard and included can come with challenges.
It’s vital that managers recognize that it’s not advisable - and truly, virtually impossible - to ask your employees to keep their religious holiday observances completely separate from work. And that’s ok! The key is to make sure everyone feels included and that no one is made to feel forced to participate in any workplace festivities.
Diversity, whether it involves the gender of the partner someone brings to a workplace party or a person’s religion, should be celebrated along with the holidays so that everyone feels welcome.
To help make planning easier with a diverse employee group, make it your prerogative to put people of different religions and cultures on the party-planning committee if there is one at your company.
Don’t forget! Don’t schedule your holiday event at a time (for example, Friday night) that might conflict with someone’s religious observances.
For any party that you are planning, aim to make it non-denominational, and include recognition of all kinds of holidays associated with December and the holiday season.
Further, make attendance of any holiday events, parties or gatherings voluntary for your employees. Those whose religions have holidays and observances in months other than December (including the Hindu celebration of Diwali, which is celebrated in the fall; or the Muslim celebration of Ramadan, which is celebrated in different months throughout the year) may not be inclined to attend a Christian season celebration.
Further, some Muslims and members of other religions not only refrain from alcohol but can be offended by its very presence, and so may not want to attend a party where alcohol is served.
Hosting a virtual event this year? Here are some tips!
Consider a two-stage party.
Why not offer multiple options?
If you’re considering providing drinks to your team for an in-person or virtual events, remember that there are a growing number of people who are choosing to go alcohol-free.
There is a number of reasons why someone might choose to go without alcohol, and varying comfort levels as well. Some may be fine to attend a party where alcohol is served, whereas others might choose to entirely avoid events where alcohol is present. The important thing to remember is their reasons are personal and people should not be compelled to share or justify their (non) participation.
Some people may also be uncomfortable around secular music and dancing, which is a feature at many holiday events.
These are all considerations you must take into account before planning. To make things more inclusive, we suggest planning a party in two stages, the first that is dry and used to communicate larger team announcements and the second, less structured half where you employees are free to come and go as they please. Mind you, this is just one suggestion and there is a myriad of ways that you could structure your own holiday events - just keep inclusivity top of mind as you do it!
Top tip: provide your company with a planned out schedule of events so your employees can plan their evenings accordingly.
Make gift exchanges optional.
A common practice across North American companies has been gift exchanges and white elephant parties. Managers should consider making these events optional and employees should not be expected to buy gifts for their co-workers.
Interested in keeping this tradition alive? Don’t put the financial burden on your employees to spend their money. In some cases, there may be some financial constraints that you do not know about. A better option that some companies have recently employed is providing all employees with a $20 Visa gift card that can be used to purchase a present for a colleague.
Give your employees the option to participate by signing up on a website or via Google Forms.