Celebrating a Diverse Holiday Season

Celebrating a Diverse Holiday Season

As the workforce becomes more diverse, organizations need to ensure they recognize the various cultures and groups to support how they celebrate their holidays.
I was very impressed recently, when I read an article about non-Christian doctors covering the Christmas work schedule to allooi their Christian co-workers time off. If we look out for the others in our organization (and community), the world will become a better place for all.
Best wishes and seasons greeting to everyone as you and your family celebrate this time of year. I hope you will all continue to participate in 12manage by contributing your thoughts and views on HR Management Roles and other topics. Regards, David.

		Comments Sort by date Sort by rating Rating
		2 Steven Cooke, Philippines
	Diverse Holiday Observance I worked in a very multicultural company in the Middle East for 10 years. While I leave it to any country to decide which particular holidays are "National", I do think that the fundamental under-riding issue is "days off" for observance. In that regard companies and HRM can do quite a bit! One of the easiest solutions is to separate ethnic and religious "holidays" from the corporate "days off" schedule. Allocating an equal number of "Holidays" apart from vacation time for all employees allows them to take time off when THEY benefit most (subject to staffing requirements, of course). "Coverage" by other employees becomes easier to manage as well. Only cases where the majority of employees may want the same days off may require extra consideration - including just making it a corporate day off. Some people prefer to "work" the slower-paced holidays instead of engaging in "holiday" activity. Best regards, Steven.

		1 Jaap de Jonge Editor, Netherlands
	Diverse Holiday Celebrations I agree as an employer, you can do a lot in your workplace to reinforce your policy that all voices ... Sign up