The holidays can be a fun and magical time for people to enjoy. However, in the workplace, it can also be a sticky situation when it comes to accommodating your employees and their various cultural, religious or personal holiday traditions and celebrations. And while most people enjoy simply getting together regardless of the theme or atmosphere, it’s still smart to play it safe when it comes to celebrating holidays at work. So to help ensure that you don’t offend or alienate any of your diverse employees over the holidays, here are three tips for celebrating the holidays at work while maintaining respect for each employee.
Find Out What Your Employees Do or Don’t Celebrate
While it’s normal to assume that everyone celebrates some type of holiday toward the end of the year, there are events that aren’t traditionally thought of that may be on your employee’s calendars. And although you may feel like it could be a safe bet to completely forego all holiday celebrations, there are ways to be inclusive without trying too hard.
Simma Lieberman, a contributor to The Balance, recommends asking your employees what they do for the holidays and encourage them to share their traditions with others in the workplace. Not only will this create an atmosphere of interest and appreciation, but it will also help everyone in the office learn more about each other and become more aware of what their coworkers celebrate.
Be Aware of Religious Undertones
When planning your holiday party, it may seem natural for you to include some traditional foods or decor from the holidays you personally celebrate. However, it’s important that you be aware of any religious undertones to these aspects of your party that could offend or make your employees uncomfortable. To be on the safe side, the HR department of the University of Mary Washington suggests sticking to secular decorations. This could include garland, candy canes, snowmen, tinsel and so forth. This should especially be the case in common areas of the workplace.
Accommodate Personal Circumstance If You Can
As an owner or manager of the business, you may be aware of certain problems your employees are dealing with. Some of these may include addiction recovery, family upheaval, financial issues and more. Knowing this, you may want to cater some of your party to meet these needs. For example, you may consider not serving alcohol at the party, hosting the event for only employees during normal work hours, or requiring no financial contributions in order to ensure each of your employees has a good experience at your holiday party.
If you’re planning to host a holiday party at work but are concerned about how to respect the varying lifestyles of your employees, consider using the tips mentioned above during your planning process.
Originally posted on December 8, 2016 @ 9:01 am