An Inclusive Christmas - Revisit Your Company Values
by Helen Bet
Christmas is a time that ostensibly brings out the very best in humanity: generosity, kindness, and inclusion. Even Die Hard sees John McClane carry out an act of selfless sacrifice. But by its very nature, Christmas is not inclusive. It is a Christian festival piggy-backing on pagan rituals and the 10 weeks or so of Christmas fever that takes hold every Autumn-Winter can leave those who are not Christian feeling acutely aware of their otherness. It is the equivalent of a huge birthday celebration being held in a peanut factory and inviting those with nut allergies to attend.
“I think there must be something wrong with me, Linus. Christmas is coming,
but I'm not happy. I don't feel the way I'm supposed to feel.”
- Charlie Brown
Christmas is a time to be with others, with family and friends, but what about those who do not have these support networks around them? Or those who have mixed emotions around Christmas time? How do the expectations both of jollity and of socialising impact those people?
If your company is doing the right things in creating a culture of belonging, then your employees will see their colleagues as part of the network with whom they wish to celebrate, so what can you do to support colleagues who are not Christian, who are neurodivergent or disabled, or who have reasons not to enjoy this time of year?
Decorations and music - Lots of religions have a festival of light at this time of year, so fairy lights are a great idea. There are plenty of battery powered options if you’re avoiding increasing those electricity bills. Winter themed decorations are also more universal than santas and nativity scenes. There are lots of excellent Christmas songs and these create a sense of nostalgia, but be mindful that many were written in a different time and songs like Fairytale of New York, Baby It’s Cold Outside, and Do They Know It’s Christmas contain lyrics that will likely make some colleagues feel uncomfortable. Your playlist can still evoke a celebratory mood if it is curated with a bit of thoughtfulness.
Parties - instead of the usual office party, offer other options to celebrate. Office Christmas parties tend to be loud, unstructured, drunken, occasions that create complex social situations where the lines between the professional and the personal can get very blurred. Such situations can be very stressful for introverted or neurodivergent colleagues. Instead, try scheduling a range of options throughout December at different times of day so that employees can attend to suit their personal schedules. You could have an inter-departmental baking contest, a quiz, a craft session, volunteering in teams, a mulled wine tasting, a meal… A party can be in there too, but having variety means that someone who chooses to opt-out of the party does not feel they are missing out on something far more significant.
Multi-faith - if your company is explicitly celebrating Christmas, then make the effort to mark festivals of other faiths at this time of year too (Chanukah and Diwali, for example). Ideally, your workplace will be a safe space for other religions year-round.
Gift giving - Secret Santa is always well-intentioned, but can be a minefield. If someone already feels excluded, it certainly won’t help if the person allocated to them for Secret Santa forgets them! If you want there to be company-wide gift-giving, consider the following:
Senior Leadership provides a gift for everyone in the company
A Secret Santa system (though ideally called something else) with a spending limit and a few gifts bought just in case
Everyone brings in a gift and these are donated to a local cause that links to the company’s values and ethos.
Whatever you decide to do, and however you decide to celebrate, bring your focus to the shared values and ethos of your organisation. This is a time for coming together, so use the commonality that makes your employees feel belonging in your company. Why wouldn’t you want your team to feel they can be themselves, and bring their whole selves to their work and to their roles? Happy holidays!