7 Ways to Celebrate Women’s History Month in Your Workplace

7 Ways to Celebrate Women’s History Month in Your Workplace

March is Women’s History Month, which grew out of National Women’s History Week, originally established by President Jimmy Carter in 1980. In addition, March 8, 2024 is International Women’s Day. Observing these occasions is a great way celebrate women’s contributions to history and the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. It also can be an important part of any employer’s diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) initiatives.

Here are 7 ways to recognize and celebrate Women’s History Month in your workplace:

1. Educational Initiatives

Have a lunch and learn and/or bring in speakers to highlight amazing women (the women in your workplace and throughout the world) and to discuss current issues affecting women. In particular, you may want to address gender issues in the workplace and your organization’s efforts to make the workplace more inclusive. You can couple this with more formal anti-harassment training and unconscious bias training.

2. Hold a Networking Event

A networking event can be a great way to help women connect with each other and build relationships. Depending on your workplace culture, the event can include structured activities such as icebreakers and group discussions or informal socializing. Consider coupling networking with a mentorship program in which senior employees are paired with more junior employees who can benefit from their experience and guidance.

3. Support Women-Owned Businesses

The Company can do this, for example, by ordering meals, drinks, or desserts from women-owned eateries and circulating a list of local women-owned businesses that your employees can patronize.

4. Contribute to Women’s Issues in the Community

This can be done by organizing volunteer outings and/or making charitable contributions to organizations that focus on the needs of women and girls. For example, look for charitable organizations that offer emotional and practical support to women affected by domestic violence and/or work on protecting the rights of, and providing education and basic necessities to, underprivileged girls.

5. Create a Women’s Month Bulletin Board

Employers can use bulletin boards – physical or virtual – to educate staff and encourage employee interactivity. There are many creative ways to use this space for Women’s Month programming. For example:

  • Invite employees to post pictures of women who have impacted their lives;
  • Spotlight notable women within the Company or industry;
  • Post a giant crossword puzzle, word search, word scramble, or trivia challenge that teammates can solve together; and/or
  • Encourage teammates to write notes of thanks and praise for women colleagues.

6. Have Some Fun

Fun ways to celebrate Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day may include decorating the office, photographing the women in your office and making a celebratory post on social media and/or having an office party celebrating women.

7. Evaluate Internal Policies & Procedures

Perhaps most importantly, employers should take this opportunity to evaluate whether they can do a better job in increasing their workplace DEIB, particularly focusing on the systems and processes around hiring, promotion, evaluation, training and compensation.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in March of 2023 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

About the Author

Amy McAndrew is MEA’s Director of Legal and Compliance Services and has been representing management in labor and employment matters for over twenty-five years.

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