Work anniversaries are huge, recognizable moments to celebrate and honor your colleagues. Have the courage to go beyond the company handbook to find ways to welcome different cultures.
For example, I handmade individual Hawaiian leis to give out on yearly anniversary dates. In my culture, a lei is a common symbol of celebration and spreads the aloha spirit. The creative department felt proud to wear their leis throughout the office as a visual badge of honor.
A former employee had this to say about my cultural contribution: “Tokens of gratitude from a leadership director like a gift card are easy, but don’t allow us to get to know our managers at anything deeper than the surface level.” He understood these leis as a celebration of my cultural heritage that mean a lot to me and, by extension, they meant a lot to him, too. It also encouraged him to share his own Jewish culture and traditions.
Goal setting
Find ways to incorporate culture within your HR’s company policies and procedures. One year, I gave each person a Daruma doll as a unique way to set individual goals.
In Asian culture, a Daruma doll is a symbol of a goal, dream or wish. When you first receive a Daruma doll, it has no eyes. Once you make your intent for your goal, you then draw in one eye. This doll will sit on your desk as a one-eyed doll and as a reminder of your unfinished goal. Then, when you accomplish your goal, you are then allowed to draw in the other eye as a completed goal/doll.
The team embraced this initiative and celebrated one another when completing their doll. One art director walked into work and upon seeing Daruma dolls on all the creative department’s desks, felt immediately welcomed seeing our culture was being highlighted by a member of the leadership team. It sparked great conversation and a bonus—it left team members with a keepsake.
The everyday
Create opportunities to welcome culture that connects with the senses: taste, smell, sight, hearing and touch. For example, outside of bringing in lunch from different countries, think of the everyday like the drinks in the office and including items such as Mexican sodas, Japanese juices, Italian cream sodas, etc.
One senior art director set up the department’s snack bar with Mexican candies, excited and amused when an art director asked if the chili powder was sugar dust. It opened friendly conversation and contributed to an environment of genuine inclusivity.
Snacks are common within other cultures; some examples are Japanese rice crackers, Indian boondi, Korean beef jerky, etc. Taking snack breaks can reflect the true celebration of the different flavors of those who work there, and it’s an opportunity to shine a light on individual cultures.
These are examples that I did, but I encourage you to find ways to tap into the culture within your own company. To have conversations inviting others to share aspects of their own culture that could become a part of your company culture. Creating a truly inclusive culture that can be felt by each individual person starts with the leaders.