SHRM Connect is an online community where SHRM members can ask questions and get answers on a variety of HR topics. It’s a great place to network with other HR professionals and share solutions. The conversation topics range from “HR Department of One” to Employment Law, are always insightful, and deal with some of the most pressing issues that HR professionals face in the workplace today.
On Fridays, I’ll be highlighting a conversation or two in hopes that you’ll take some time to visit. You may want to "lurk"… perhaps respond, but you’ll always learn something. It’s a great community and I highly recommend that you check it out.
The holidays are here and things can get a little crazy for HR. The parties, decorations, multiple time-off requests and decisions about religious and spiritual accommodations can create huge holiday headaches.
And then there is the question about the names of holidays. In the SHRM Connect HR Department of One group, an HR manager asks if she should change the names of Christmas and all the 2018 holidays to be more sensitive to the diverse employee population.
In the SHRM blog post, Finale of Holiday Tale by Jewish Guy Who Wears A Chai, employment attorney Jonathan Segal weighs in on the winter holidays and says, "Usually, it’s best to call your shindig a holiday party or seasonal celebration to maximize inclusion, but it is more than OK to mention the various holidays celebrated, including Christmas. In fact, please do. Inclusion does not mean eliminating anything that is not universally shared. It is the opposite!"
What are your thoughts?
Subject: Changing Holiday Names
Should I change the names for our 2018 holidays? For example, change Good Friday to Spring Holiday, and change Christmas and the day after to Winter Holidays? Or is that taking it too far? I want to be sensitive to our diverse employee population, but I can't help feel that it might be going overboard. Thank you for your input!
SHRM members can read/respond to this thread here.
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