Most HR professionals know that not everyone celebrates the holidays the same way (or at all). Still, it’s easy for organizations to fall back on familiar traditions. While well-intentioned, this can unintentionally alienate employees and, in some cases, create compliance risks.
Below are practical strategies to help you foster a holiday season that’s inclusive, respectful, and aligned with company values. By avoiding assumptions, staying neutral, honoring accommodations, and keeping participation voluntary, you can build a culture where everyone feels welcome.
3 Tips for Creating Inclusive Celebrations
Keeping the holidays inclusive doesn’t mean eliminating celebrations. It simply means being thoughtful about how you celebrate and who you include.
1. Avoid Making Assumptions
Recent research shows 86% of Americans celebrate Christmas, meaning a meaningful portion of the workforce celebrates other holidays or none at all.
As an HR professional, avoid making assumptions about employees’ beliefs, cultural norms, or needs. Consider using anonymous surveys or inclusive holiday calendars to understand preferences and plan celebrations accordingly. This help you strike the right balance between festive and respectful.
Compliance Tip: Review your religious accommodation and time-off policies. Ensuring compliance with federal and state anti-discrimination laws now only reduces risk but also boost morale and retention.
2. Embrace Holiday Neutrality
Before decorating the office in red and green or framing all conversations around Christmas or Thanksgiving, consider how a more neutral approach can help everyone feel included. You can:
- Stick to winter or seasonal themes (snowflakes, lights, nature imagery)
- Use secular décor: twinkle lights, wreaths, or winter-themed company branding
- Choose diverse color palettes
- Use inclusive greetings such as “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings”
Neutrality helps your organization avoid the appearance of religious favoritism and demonstrates respect for diverse traditions and beliefs.
Compliance Tip: Maintaining neutral décor and messaging can help prevent claims or religious preference or exclusive under Title VII.
3. Allow for Flexible Participation
Off a variety of activities—potlucks, virtual events, team outings, educational sessions, or winter-themed celebrations—that employees can join in the ways that feel most comfortable to them.
Provide flexibility in format (virtual, hybrid, or partial participation) and ensure diverse food and music options that reflect a range of cultural backgrounds.
Compliance Tip: Title VII prohibits discrimination based on religion. Some employees may need flexible scheduling or may opt out entirely due to religious beliefs. Participation should always be voluntary.
Walking the Line Between Encouragement and Requirement
Participation in holiday activities must remain voluntary—not just culturally, but legally. Mandating attendance at secular or religious celebrations can violate Title VII and erode employee trust.
Encourage employee-led celebrations and position events as opportunities to relax and connect but never pressure employees to attend.
Compliance Tip: Train managers not to penalize, pressure, or single out employees who decline participation. Provide clear anti-retaliation policies and reporting avenues.
Managing Religious Accommodation Requests During Holidays
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act requires employers to provide reasonable accommodation for sincerely held religious beliefs. That includes honoring time-off requests for observance and avoiding schedule conflicts whenever possible.
To stay compliant:
- Communicate procedures, deadlines, and expectations clearly
- Train supervisors on identifying and managing accommodation requests
- Offer options like floating holidays, shift swaps, or make-up time
- Apply PTO policies consistently to avoid discrimination claims
Compliance Tip: Consistency is your best defense. Ensure similar requests are handled similarly across teams.
Balancing Fun and Compliance for Successful Holiday Celebrations
Holiday celebrations should bring people together—not create division or compliance headaches. Staying neutral, flexible, respectful, and voluntary helps you build celebrations that support both meaningful culture and sound compliance.
If you’re looking for support navigation federal and state laws during seasonal planning, VirgilHR can help. Our automated, real-time compliance platform keeps you aligned with relevant regulations so you can focus on fostering a workplace that truly celebrates everyone.