Our EDI Calendar highlights many religious holidays, awareness and inclusion days to help individuals and businesses celebrate and spread awareness. There are many days, weeks and months to be aware of, not only is it difficult to keep track of each date, it can also be difficult to rationalise which days to celebrate.

In an ideal world we would mark every date but as a business this is not always possible. So how do you justify what days to celebrate, continue day to day business but ensure you recognise each individual and avoid being labelled as ‘non inclusive’. 

Whilst creating The Equal Group's EDI calendar, it became clear that I would not be able to include all holidays and awareness days for one simple reason, there was not enough space. Aside from space on the calendar, I also considered how overwhelming it can be to look at a calendar and see multiple events everyday, and wanting to include everyone businesses or individuals may feel obliged to recognise. There could be an argument that no single event outweighs the other, as different people have different priorities and views but as a business who also needs to dedicate time and social media content to services, we can not feasibly spend every day dedicated to recognising days. 

So how did I rationalise what to include in our calendar?

1. Business & Client Ethos - What are the beliefs and values of our business or clients? I consulted with our team and considered what our clients have highlighted as important to them. Considering individual beliefs, values and lifestyles, each member of our team holds different values and recognises different religious events. Through discussions I was able to understand the importance of different religious or cultural dates and helped understand which days held more value and had more importance to celebrate. 

By regularly soliciting feedback from clients and employees about inclusion efforts, I was able to make adjustments as needed.

2. National / Global Celebrations - there are days and months that are recognised by everyone such as Pride, Men's Mental Health, Black History Month etc. As large scale events these are often days that raise awareness about the challenges faced by marginalised groups and help educate people about different lifestyles, cultures, disabilities, gender identities, and other aspects of the diverse human experience.

By hosting larger, more comprehensive inclusion events (monthly or quarterly) this allows for deeper engagement with guest speakers, workshops without daily disruption.

3. Topics of Discussion - As an equality, diversity and inclusion consultancy we share many resources covering the 9 protected characteristics. Considering these characteristics and discussions we have had through webinars, I highlighted key dates in relation to these such as International Women's day, World Autism Awareness day etc. 

With many days to recognise the 9 Protected Characteristics, small, meaningful activities such as talks and workshops can be done without significantly disrupting daily operations.

Celebrating inclusion days is important as it encourages acceptance, fosters an environment of understanding and encourages people to appreciate and respect differences, reducing prejudice and discrimination. Awareness days also highlight contributions, inspiring people and promoting a more inclusive narrative in public discourse.

While it’s important to foster an inclusive culture, businesses need to strike a balance between celebrating inclusion and maintaining productivity. 

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