http://www.pressies.org/diwali-gifts-wiki/
Charles Dickens made his opinions clear on employers who fail to adequately celebrate holidays in his masterpiece A Christmas Carol. His Ebeneezer Scrooge character has been thoroughly denounced and even booed in movies and theatre performances for failing to give Bob Cratchitt the day of Christmas Eve. Scrooge was punished for his lack of holiday spirit by being visited by nightmares of three ghosts. As a result of his fright, he resolved to change his ways and showed up the following morning at the Cratchitt¹s home with a huge turkey for the feast, joined their family celebration, and became a beloved character from that point on.
We all want to encourage our teams to be happy and festive, and we like to be generous. But I wonder what even the reformed Ebeneezer Scrooge would do when given a tight schedule, a tighter budget; and teams that celebrate Eid, Holi, the Lunar New Year and hundreds of other holidays!
The Solution
Most businesses can¹t afford the time or money to host a major party every couple of weeks. Some corporate environments become sterile and lifeless in
an effort to not favor any culture or holiday over another. I don¹t think that¹s the answer. I think holidays are a great opportunity to get to know each other and appreciate one another better. Celebrating diverse holidays doesn¹t need to be disruptive, and can bring some color and life into our stressful and sometimes routine workplaces.
Here are some suggestions:
- Make time off policies as flexible as possible
- Have a gift policy that prevents discomfort, obligation or the appearance of impropriety
- Award additional time off as a performance incentive
- Post a schedule of major holidays and keep it in mind when scheduling work projects.
- Make the office festive without being obtrusive
- Encourage employees to organize lunchtime potlucks or break room treats.
Make time off policies as flexible as possible, but encourage people to schedule their time off as far in advance as possible. This allows them to balance their priorities and not miss out on any important family events. Some companies encourage employees to schedule half or most of their vacation at least a month in advance, keeping some in reserve for unplanned events, emergencies and illness.
Having a gift-giving policy that is in effect for all holidays prevents employees from feeling obligated or embarrassed at being caught empty-handed. Many companies advocate a cap of $5 on any personal gifts between employees for birthdays, or holidays, or allow no personal gifts at all. Bringing a community gift like a basket of food to a team for completing a project is often much more appropriate.
Awarding additional time off as a performance incentive often costs less than financial bonuses. You can put conditions on this additional time off (it needs to be taken within a certain timeframe, may not be taken during particularly busy periods, the employee must negotiate with his team for coverage of vital functions, etc.) and it can still be very motivating without being unduly disruptive of your business.
Post a schedule of major holidays and use it for reference when planning major projects. Recognizing conflicts early gives you more options to negotiate with your teams to get the best possible outcome for everyone. One of the positive factors in multicultural teams is that not everyone will want the same holidays off. Coverage of vital functions becomes easier when you recognize and schedule time off early.
Make the office festive without being obtrusive. Allowing employees to decorate certain parts of the office seasonally can make a nice change, can educate employees about each other¹s cultures. Have a wall or an area that can be decorated by employees based on the season or holiday. Post a schedule and some guidelines (nothing overtly religious, for example, or that could be considered offensive to other employees.)
Encourage employees to organize lunchtime potlucks or break room treats. I really enjoyed a Diwali potluck at a Wells Fargo Web Services office in San Francisco. Many employees of Indian descent brought their specialties and decorated the break room. Everyone appreciated the effort that our ³hosts² had gone to, and other groups reciprocated with a Lunar New Year potluck, and other holiday celebrations. This did not take much more time than people normally take for lunch. The company supplied paper plates and utensils, (as usual) and employees provided everything else, including cleanup. Everyone pitched in and it was a great experience.
Baskets of fruit, cheese, crackers and candy in the break room are inexpensive and make the office seem festive for employees that have to work during holidays.
A Word of Warning
Don’t make any assumptions about which employees celebrate which holidays based on ethnic background, country of origin, or anything else other than personal preference. We’re all very complex people with very complex families. Your employees of Chinese descent may take “Indian” holidays, your employees of American descent may take Arabic holidays, and so on. Leave all the options open to everyone.
Conclusion
You don¹t have to go ³all or nothing² over holidays in the office. You don¹t have to have huge expensive parties; and you don¹t have to outlaw holidays altogether for fear of being partial. Placing some commonsense guidelines in place will allow you and your teams to enjoy the holidays without undue friction, stress or expense.
List of Holidays By Country
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_holidays_by_country” target=”_blank”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_holidays_by_country
About the Author:
Paula Williams is a writer, consultant, and the host of Ravenwerks, a community for ethics, etiquette and effectiveness in our increasingly multicultural world.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Celebrating the Holidays in a Multicultural Workplace Without Going Broke, Crazy or Out of Business
Happy Diwali
