Awareness days are a staple of every organisational calendar, but with so many to choose from, you may wish to have a plan in place to help you decide which calendar entries to prioritise.
FAIRER has put together some tips and guidance to help you to choose between the many worthy dates and advice on how to structure your awareness events and communications while keeping employees engaged:
- Consider organisational relevance: align awareness days with your company’s core values and ethos. For example, if sustainability is a key value for your business, Earth Day should be a priority. Rank awareness events based on their potential relevance and impact.
- Change focus: rotate your chosen awareness days each year to give different causes the spotlight. This prevents overload and keeps the calendar fresh. Focus on a few key days rather than trying to cover everything. Creating a shortlist should be carried out before, or after, consulting with employees, so you can ensure that organisational priorities are met as well as choosing themes that will engage employees.
- Keep things manageable: you may wish to divide awareness days into tiers whereby days in tier one are marked by in-person events, internal speakers and group activities, while those in tier two get a virtual session, get a mention in the staff newsletter or intranet, and tier three get highlighted on the calendar or via a social post.
- Engage with your workforce: awareness days that resonate with your employees’ backgrounds and experiences can foster a more inclusive culture. You may wish to ask employees and employee resource groups (ERGs) for their input. This can be done through surveys or suggestion boxes. Some organisations ask employees to vote on which awareness days to prioritise. This shortlist can be different each year, so that a wide range of issues is highlighted in addition to core dates.
- Organise an action team: establish cross-functional committees of employees who are passionate about specific causes to lead and execute initiatives, being sure to represent different demographics within the company. You may wish to collaborate with external organisations that specialise in certain awareness days for extra resources and support. This can reduce the burden on HR and DE&I departments.
- Use a multichannel approach: use various communication channels, such as emails, intranet, newsletters, in person and social media, to reach all employees. For example, during Black History Month, events could include educational workshops, guest speakers, and social activities. For International Women's Day, you may wish to host panel discussions featuring women leaders from within and outside the organisation, highlighting the achievements of women in your company through internal newsletters and social media.
During Mental Health Awareness Week, you could hold webinars on stress management, offer access to mental health professionals, and promote a culture of openness about mental health issues. It goes without saying that whatever the cause, all events must be inclusive, considering all employees’ locations, hours and accessibility needs.
- Be interactive: interactive workshops, games, and activities make participation fun and engaging. Share personal stories or testimonials from employees who have been positively impacted by events. Host friendly competitions or challenges related to the awareness day theme, with small prizes or recognition for participants.
- Be sensitive: ensure that the language and imagery used in communications are inclusive and respectful of all cultures and demographics. Recognise days that intersect multiple identities, as these can include discussions on gender, race, and more.
- Involve leadership: encourage leaders to actively participate in and promote awareness days – their involvement as allies can inspire others to join in. Highlight stories of inclusive leaders who are passionate about the cause, showing that participation is valued at all levels of the organisation.
- Measure impact: after each event, gather feedback to understand what worked and what didn’t to help you to refine future events. Hold feedback sessions where employees can openly discuss their thoughts and experiences.
- Go beyond the calendar: provide educational materials and resources that go beyond the event, such as articles, videos, and training sessions. Organise ongoing activities such as workshops, Q&A sessions with experts, and hands-on projects to deepen engagement. For example, organisations that only talk about inclusion during Pride month are often accused of organisational pinkwashing.
Our event-to-action worksheet offers a framework for reflection after each event, encouraging organisations to take actionable next steps towards true inclusivity in the workplace. View our worksheet for HR and leadership, and employees.
To find out more on how to be inclusive in the workplace, please get in touch.
FAIRER Consulting
FAIRER Consulting stands at the forefront of thought leadership in the field of diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I). As part of the Advisory Services at Hays Plc, we are a specialist inclusion management company that supports global businesses to diversify their talent pools and to create inclusive work cultures in three key areas: education, leadership and consulting.