4 Ways to Make Workplace Holiday Plans More Inclusive

The holiday season brings a familiar flurry of year-end celebrations, deadlines, and out-of-office messages. While the last few months of the year can help employees build connection, they can also leave people feeling overlooked or overwhelmed.

Inclusion leaders can help their organizations approach the season with greater intention. They can help build enough awareness and flexibility into programming, communications, and policies so that employees can honor what matters to them without pressure or penalty. The following four practices can help inclusion leaders make holiday planning more inclusive while still supporting business needs.

1. Don’t assume—assess what employees need

A standard calendar is insufficient for identifying which observances matter most to your employees. Instead, base your calendar on input from anonymous surveys and religious ERGs. In fact, Seramount’s multicultural holiday survey of 16 organizations found that 81 percent sought input from ERGs and 63 percent consulted diversity committees. Ask questions such as which holidays employees often observe, what meaningful support looks like, and where current practices create conflicts.

2. Centralize and standardize communications

Holiday communication plans often involve inclusion, HR, internal communications, ERGs, and legal teams. While it’s important to collect input from different functions, if there’s no designated owner, messaging can become muddled, inaccurate, or problematic.

Maintaining a solid communication strategy during the holiday season is key to preserving employee engagement. Before drafting your message, create a charter that outlines who owns which communications. Consider the following role designations:

• Inclusion and HR should own the strategy, accommodation guidance, and the official holiday calendar.
• Internal communications can manage language, cadence, and channels.
• ERGs can offer cultural context and co-create org-wide communications, but they should own messaging for events they host.  
• Legal can review sensitive content to mitigate risk and ensure compliance.

3. Plan deadlines around holiday observances

The holidays often coincide with year-end performance reviews, project deadlines, and all-hands meetings. If employees don’t have enough time to meet milestones or take time away to celebrate moments that matter to them, trust can be damaged. SHRM also recommends considering clients, partners, and vendors whose schedules or customs may affect the broader business.

To avoid potential conflicts, review major corporate goals against religious and cultural calendars. Work with business leaders to avoid stacking important deadlines and meetings around widely celebrated holidays, such as Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or Christmas. There will still be conflicts, but you can mitigate them by offering floating holidays, asynchronous meeting recordings, and other flexible options. In that same survey, Seramount found that 94 percent of organizations offered flexible policies to accommodate individual preferences.

4. Design programming that offers choice and support

To keep inclusion at the heart of celebrations, ERGs can offer cultural workshops and winter-themed gatherings centered on connection rather than religion. Attendance can be encouraged, but it should not be mandatory. During these events, be mindful of whether decorations, music, or alcohol could unintentionally signal that one tradition holds greater value than another.

Organizations can also broaden participation through virtual events or online resources. Seramount found that 93 percent of survey respondents used newsletters or email blasts to share resources, and 87 percent offered online spaces for employees to exchange traditions.

Remember that the holiday season can dredge up more than just joy. Grief, financial pressure, and family stress often surface at this time of year. As part of your communications, weave in reminders about mental health resources and flexible work options. Managers should also know how to offer flexibility; respond to emotionally sensitive situations, conversations, or concerns; and escalate questions when needed.

Inclusive holiday planning should be ongoing

This work doesn’t stop once the holiday season ends—it should be treated as an ongoing initiative rather than a once-a-year exercise. After the autumn and winter holidays, ask employees and ERGs what to stop, start, and continue. Seramount observed that 50 percent of organizations adjusted their holiday plans based on employee feedback and 38 percent regularly reviewed their practices.

When inclusion leaders plan events around employee needs, communicate clearly, and advocate for flexibility, holiday activities can contribute to a positive employee experience. A thoughtful, empathetic approach sends a broader message: People do not have to set aside their beliefs to belong at work.