Diversity's About More Than Just a Simple "Happy
Holidays" Greeting Card
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Source: Lieberman, Simma. (n.d.). Diversity's about more
than just a simple "Happy Holidays" greeting
card. Retrieved April 7, 2006 from About.com
Guess who's not celebrating Christmas this
year? Millions of people in the United States.
That's right. Tens of millions of Americans
don't celebrate Christmas religiously, either as followers
of non-Christian religions (Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus,
Jews) or as individuals with no religious affiliation.
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Because many stores tap into the cash value of
Christmas with their plethora of Santas, ornaments, and Christmas
fanfare at your nearby mall, we can easily overlook the depth
of the diversity present in America during this season. In reality,
many different events, both spiritual, religious, and tradition
based, are being celebrated in many different ways during these
times.
It used to be that being inclusive meant
sending out politically correct "Happy Holidays" greeting
cards and changing Christmas office parties to "holiday
parties." Today, inclusiveness and diversity is about
more than just changing labels and titles.
Diversity and inclusiveness is about using
the holiday celebration time to be with friends and family
to build understanding and awareness about others.
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Three Ways to Build Your Awareness of Diversity and
Create an Inclusive Holiday Environment
1. Learn about other religious or holiday
celebrations. Carve out some time from online shopping
or a holiday TV show to learn about another culture's celebrations
during this time. Watch a TV special about other celebrations,
do a Google search on a holiday, or check out books at your
local bookstore while gift shopping. Share your learning with
others, and use it as a chance to expand the conversation at
parties and at the dinner table.
2. Make no expectations about other religious
or holiday celebrations. Realize that people celebrate
a variety of holidays during this time of year, and some people
choose to celebrate none. Be respectful of these differences
by taking interest in other people's traditions and making
them feel welcome. Don't be afraid to ask people what holidays
they celebrate. Find out what they do during this time of the
year that is special. Let it be an opportunity to learn about
different cultures and religions and the traditions that accompany
them.
3. Mark your calendar and your address
book with other scheduled religious or holiday celebrations.
If the calendar or PDA you use does not list holidays like
Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Ramadan, and Diwali, find out the dates
and record them as reminders. Many programs like Microsoft
Outlook allow users to add calendar dates for celebrations
from different parts of the world automatically, making this
task quick and effortless. Take a few minutes to mark your
address book with the holidays that people celebrate. When
writing holiday cards, recognize their holiday, and include
a little hand-written note acknowledging their celebration.
A Note for Employers about Religious
or Holiday Celebrations
Here are a few extra things employers can do to
make their workplaces more inclusive during the holidays.
- Make sure your holiday party isn't a Christmas party in disguise.
Decorations and food should be general, and not specific to
any religion.
- Consider having a New Year's party instead of a holiday party.
This type of party can get everyone on board with the company's
mission and vision for the New Year.
- Post holiday greetings on your webpage and Intranet for many
religious holidays.
- Be respectful of these special dates, and plan events and
meetings around various holidays.
- Display a multi-cultural calendar to help all employees stay
aware of important cultural events for the rest of the year.
- Be flexible with the needs of different employees about religious
or holiday celebrations.
- Encourage employees to share their celebrations through stories,
decorations, and foods that they can bring to their workplace.
About MINES & Associates
For over 25 years MINES & Associates has been
a nationally recognized business psychology firm that provides
a variety of services to corporate employers including employee
assistance programs (EAP), managed mental healthcare, organizational
development and psychology services, wellness programs, behavioral
risk management, disease management, PPO services, and a number
of other technology based services. MINES & Associates is
divided into two main divisions, Organizational Psychology and
Health Psychology, and currently serves a diverse portfolio of
clients in all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, and the UK.
Please log on to http://www.minesandassociates.com for
the latest news and information on MINES & Associates.
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