Employee engagement holidays are so in style in the HR community, and for a good reason. There are many excellent ways to engage your coworkers, and having unforgettable non-standard holidays your company celebrates in your HR calendar is one of them. In addition, an employee engagement calendar can be fun and educational and even promote good team-building between your employees.
For your HR to even entertain the idea of engagement holidays, you need a sound HR system. In addition, you need an HR system that is flexible enough so that you can input everything you might need into its calendar system. With HR software like Youbelee, you can fully customize your company calendar even when you have moving holidays like easter and the Chinese New Year.
As nearly 80% of Millennials look for people and culture fit with employers, followed by career potential, it is vital to have something light and fun each month for your employees. So in this article, we will suggest what to add every month of the year to your HR engagement calendar.
Engagement Holidays Calendar
January
Start January 5 with national Keto day to raise awareness about the food we consume. Keto's philosophy is that you consume fewer carbs and processed foods. You could organize a luncheon for your employees on or around that day, depending on what day of the week it is. As for your remote employees, you can always send them a small package with either food or recipes.
February
On February 16, you could celebrate Innovation day. Innovation day exists so that people can recognize how new knowledge plays a crucial role in making everything more advanced and powerful. We, humans, are in perpetual motion, so we must always continue forward. As for your company, you can give out books to your employees about innovation or hand out a bonus to an employee that had a breakthrough. Hopefully, it will make the lives of everyone in the company better.
March
March 3 is world wildlife day, an important date when people raise awareness of all the critically endangered species out there. On world wildlife day, the UN and its partners raise awareness of the gravity of the dire situation our planet's wildlife is in. As for your company, you can have an open charity where people can donate to their favorite wildlife charities and have your company double or triple it in their name. You can even have a costume party where people can dress up as their favorite animal or have someone paint the faces of your employees.
April
After a heavy subject like critically endangered animals, there might be something lighter you can add to your employee engagement calendar. On April 23 each year, people celebrate Movie Theatre Day. This holiday celebrates all the joy that the silver screen has brought into our lives and should be there to promote going into the theatre and that whole experience. So your company should have a poll on what movie your employees want to watch on that day and book a theatre hall. Pay for the snacks and drinks and take your employees out. If you have a lot of employees, you can always add a few additional dates. You can also hand out vouchers for movies and snacks, which would simplify the whole organizational effort.
May
There is that old saying, "Mental health is wealth", and this has never rung more true than today. People are much more aware of mental health issues, and the stigma surrounding treatment is almost nonexistent. But it is because of awareness that this happened, and May is "Mental Health" awareness month. Celebrate it in your company by having HR send anonymous surveys to gauge employees' feelings. Have seminars where trained professionals teach people how to take care of themselves and their loved ones and talk about their mental health.
June
June 16 is national flip flop day, one of the many heralds of summer. It traditionally falls on the third Friday of June; you celebrate it by wearing flip-flops. It is like one of those moving holidays we mentioned earlier, and please don't take it too seriously. This is a fun holiday to celebrate if you work in an office by allowing your employees to dress in summer casual for the day by wearing flip-flops. Suppose you have remote employees; then ship flip-flops to their addresses and include them.
July
July 8 is Be A Kid Again Day, and we celebrate one of the most precious times in our lives, our childhoods. This particular day is about forgetting you are an adult for a moment and regressing into a carefree child again. This is one of those engagement holidays that fall far away from Keto month so that you can be naughty and celebrate it with junk food. If you are in the office or a construction yard, try to bring in candy, ice cream, and whatever junk food your employees love. Encourage your employees to bring childhood photos or mail them to your HR so they can wrap them around their necks. This way, their colleagues can see how they have changed.
August
World water week falls on August 23, celebrating the most important resource on our planet, water. Encourage your coworkers to drink sustainably and try and avoid plastic water bottles and waste in general. Instead, use reusable glass in the office and gift water filters to your colleagues.
September
September 19 is talk-like pirate day and is my favorite random fun holiday. Again after a more severe water week holiday last month, this one is a fun distraction. Two brothers were having fun talking like pirates in 1995 and created it as a joke, but it quickly gained popularity, especially after the Pirates Of The Caribbean movies. This holiday is a fun opportunity to give your employees a much-needed break from their routines. Fun things to do are talk and dress like a pirate. You can even schedule Zoom calls if you have remote employees to hear them talk like a pirate. If you are in the office, you can have a pirate-themed party, drink up me, mateys yo ho.
October
The whole month of October is LGBTQ+ history month and serves to celebrate LGBTQ+'s history and culture. When it first started, it was more to start a movement, and now it is mainly to raise awareness. This one is easy enough; encourage your employees to wear rainbow colors. Celebrate its rich history with seminars, documentaries, or even an lgbtq+ party. You can organize a drag show and live-stream it to your remote employees. Those are always fun.
November
On November 3, we celebrate national Jellyfish day. Neither jelly nor a fish. This fantastic creature is incredibly fascinating. Please observe its existence by attending an aquarium or gifting your employees a ticket to visit one. You can also organize a themed party where the main drink would be Jell-O shots. You can also raise funds for a marine-based charity at the party and double or triple the amount your employees raise.
December
On December 15, we celebrate national regifting day. This holiday is celebrated every third Thursday of December and can seem a bit mean. However, when you add a few caveats, regifting can be helpful.
Organize a white elephant gift exchange with your employees and normalize the practice. We tend to be wasteful, so repurposing items we don't care for can be good for the environment.
Engagement Holidays in Conclusion
Whichever you would like to adopt will work great in building a greater sense of community in your company. So pick and choose the one that best fits your budget and company culture and make your company a better place for your colleagues.