University Park, Pa. -- Planning and attending the office Christmas party in December used to be relatively simple. The increasing diversity of the workplace, however, has turned party planning for the office into a potentially thorny dilemma. But a diversity specialist in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences says a few simple guidelines can keep the fun in holiday celebrations.
Patreese Ingram, associate professor of diversity education, notes that while Christmas is one of the most important celebrations for Christians, a growing percentage of the nation's population is non-Christian.
"Most employers want to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all of their employees, regardless of their religious or cultural beliefs," she says. "Therefore, more companies are rethinking the whole Christmas party, calling it a 'seasonal' or 'holiday' party."
Some things to consider when planning the gathering:
--Be careful when selecting a date for the holiday party. "Try to avoid dates that may conflict with important dates in other cultures and religions," she says. "Some years, for example, special Islamic holidays associated with Ramadan may fall in December. Make every effort to involve a diverse group of employees on the holiday-planning committee."
--Try to keep decorations neutral, with symbols -- flowers, balloons, candles and snowflakes -- that can be enjoyed by most people. "If traditional decorations are preferred by the employees in your organization, expand the traditional decorations to include a variety of symbols that represent the employees," Ingram says. "Ask employees what symbols and decorations they would like to have included in the celebration. In addition to Christmas trees and crèches, you might include the Hanukkah menorah, Kwanzaa's kinara and symbols from other religious groups."
There may be some risk of missing a group, she says, so an inclusive approach would be to send out a notice to all employees, inviting everyone to bring items representative of their cultures to share with the whole group.
"Items can be placed on display with a written description describing the tradition, or employees can be given an opportunity on the agenda to share a story," Ingram suggests. "It can be an opportunity to learn about different cultures and religions and the traditions that accompany them."
--Accommodate diverse palates, including dishes on the menu that can be enjoyed by everyone, including vegetarians. "For example, pork is forbidden for Jewish and Muslim people," she says. "Shellfish is prohibited for Jewish people and beef is not eaten by Hindus. While coffee, tea and caffeinated soda may seem 'safe,' members of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons) and Seventh-Day Adventists are prohibited from consuming caffeine. Therefore, juice may be an acceptable choice."
--If families are invited to the holiday party, remember that "family" in some cultures means more than just spouses and children. "Be welcoming to employees who bring members of their extended family to the party," Ingram points out. "These might include parents, aunts and cousins who live with the employee. And remember that some people do not attend parties at all. Members of the Jehovah's Witnesses do not participate in parties or gift-giving. No one should be pressured to attend the party.
"The most important thing is to use the time as an opportunity to celebrate, have fun and enjoy one another," she says.