Best practices for celebrating cultural holidays through an inclusive lens

Creating an inclusive environment goes beyond hiring a diverse team—it requires actively acknowledging and honoring employees’ cultures and backgrounds. 

When companies recognize diversity holidays and cultural celebrations, this sends a powerful message to employees that their identities matter and the organization values their contributions beyond professional capabilities.

Workplace belonging is also critical for engagement, leading to 56% improved job performance, 50% lower turnover risk, and 75% fewer employee sick days, according to a BetterUp survey. 

Building a true sense of belonging requires an authentic approach to cultural celebrations. To ensure these initiatives aren’t performative, leaders can reflect on the following questions:

• How are we including the voices of historically underrepresented employees?
• How can we use these celebrations to create a culture of learning?
• What is our end goal and how will we measure success?
• Do these celebrations align with the company’s values?

Creating meaningful diversity celebrations ensures that these initiatives are not performative gestures, but rather impactful and sustainable practices that contribute to long-term growth and success. Below are six considerations to keep in mind when celebrating and acknowledging cultural holidays in the workplace. 

Involve underrepresented voices.

Companies can seek input and guidance from all employees by conducting a brief company-wide survey that asks:

• What holidays are most important to you and your culture?
• Which of these holidays would you like to celebrate or acknowledge at work?
• Would you like to be involved in organizing and/or hosting any work celebrations and initiatives?

Company leaders may feel overwhelmed identifying which holidays are most important or how to involve team members while avoiding tokenism. These survey results can highlight which initiatives to prioritize. 

Once leaders identify which holidays and cultural observances the company will recognize, add them to a company calendar that’s visible to all employees. 

Make learning a priority. 

Not all employees have the same understanding of a holiday’s history and cultural significance. When planning initiatives, think about incorporating a learning component such as:

• Educational workshops: Arrange workshops or presentations led by employees or external experts to educate colleagues about the historical and cultural significance of the holiday being celebrated. 
• Guest speakers: Invite guest speakers from diverse backgrounds to share their personal experiences, traditions, and perspectives related to the holiday. 
• Cross-cultural food tastings: Organize tastings where employees can sample traditional dishes associated with the holiday being celebrated. Encourage participants to learn about the ingredients, cooking techniques, and culinary traditions.
• Interactive activities: Host games such as trivia where employees answer questions about the holiday's history, customs, or traditions. 
• Virtual learnings: Provide employees with access to virtual learning resources, such as documentaries, articles, podcasts, or online courses that explore the history, traditions, and cultural significance of the holiday. Host a Lunch and Learn or encourage employees to tap into these resources at their own pace and engage in discussions or reflections to deepen their understanding.
• Book clubs: A book club creates opportunities for individuals with different perspectives and experiences to engage in meaningful discussions. Ensure that the book club is open to everyone and fosters a safe space for sharing diverse viewpoints.

Collaborate with Employee Resource Groups (ERGs).

ERGs are safe spaces for employees and allies of underrepresented communities. Companies can partner with ERGs by co-hosting events, encouraging ERG leaders to lead workshops and panels, and promoting ERG events company-wide to increase attendance. Most importantly, companies can make sure ERGs have proper support and an adequate budget to carry out these celebrations and initiatives. 

Offer floating holidays. 

Unlike fixed holidays, floating holidays allow employees to choose when they take time off based on their personal needs, preferences, or cultural and religious observances. This flexibility recognizes and respects the diversity of employees' backgrounds. 

Ensure that all employees are aware of their options, limitations, and how to request and utilize these days off. 

Measure and evaluate impact.

To ensure ongoing improvement and growth, establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the impact of your diversity celebrations, such as:

• Attendance 
• Participate 
• Employee engagement
• Diversity of event organizers or speakers
• Testimonials and employee success stories

Collect feedback from employees, ERGs, and other stakeholders to gain insights into their experiences and identify areas for improvement.

Foster ongoing dialogue and engagement.

Celebrating diversity should extend beyond specific heritage months or holidays. Create spaces for open dialogue and ongoing engagement throughout the year by continuing to host trainings, lunch and learns, book clubs, and other educational workshops. Encourage employees to share feedback on initiatives and ideas for future celebrations through surveys, focus groups, and 1:1 meetings. 

Work with Perfeqta to build an engaging and inclusive workplace culture.

We’ll help your team develop workplace strategies that boost engagement, improve retention, and foster a culture of belonging.

Learn more about our company training sessions, career coaching, and DEI roadmapping services here.