How you should think about inclusivity in your holiday calendar

Like many agencies, my firm, Geben Communication, prides itself on being progressive and inclusive. Our paid leave policy has always included all moms and dads, who give birth or adopt. We support a range of nonprofits fighting against racism and fighting for equality. We stopped asking about salary history years ago.

Can we do more? Of course. As an industry, we all can, and must.

I’ve intentionally dedicated time this month to research DE&I best practices—ranging from recruiting and hiring to workplace policies and community outreach programs. Through this research, I discovered an inclusivity blind spot: our holiday calendar.

While some of the new initiatives we’re implementing, such as creating a more diverse talent pipeline by building relationships with and recruiting from colleges with diverse student populations, will take time to implement and deliver tangible outcomes, some steps can happen more quickly.

Across the industry, rethinking holidays and paid time off is one relatively easy opportunity to immediately align our inclusive values with our company policies.