Creating Inclusive and Impactful Year-End Workplace Celebrations

As 2025 comes to a close, many organizations are planning celebrations to recognize the milestones they have reached this year.

When organizations host end of year celebrations, they are providing an opportunity to show their appreciation for all the hard work that has been done by their employees; however, organizations need to be cognizant of the inclusivity of these events, and ensure they are reflective of their diverse populations.

According to a survey from QuestionPro and EQ Community, over 40% of American employees would switch jobs to be part of a more inclusive workplace culture.

Statistics like these highlight the importance of workplace inclusivity, not only during the holidays, but year-round.

How can your organization design inclusive year-end celebrations? Let’s look at some practical tips to help you plan year-end celebrations that everyone can enjoy.

Creating Inclusive Celebrations

Start with the basics – make sure your events are designed so that all employees feel recognized and can enjoy participating. It is important to acknowledge and respect the various cultural backgrounds of your employees and support the things that make each of your individual teams unique.

When companies support D&I initiatives, a whopping 83 percent of millennials are actively engaged in their work. Beyond culture, other things such as dietary restrictions, selecting accessible venues and inclusive drink selections need to be carefully considered to ensure there is something for everyone to enjoy.

Enhancing Employee Engagement

One way that organizations can ensure employees feel heard and included during company events is to include them in the planning process.

Implementing a committee or small group of employees from different areas of the organization can provide an opportunity for employees to interact with others outside of their daily roles and from varying levels of the organization, while also promoting diversity of thought within the planning process. These celebrations also tend to require an element of creativity and can allow those involved in planning to express some of their creative ideas throughout the process.

Here are some things to take into consideration when creating your year-end celebration:

• Check in with employees. As with any other event, you want it to be impactful for the audience. Being mindful of employee capacity and influences outside of the workplace is important when considering timing, location, and event types during year-end celebrations. For many, the holidays and the end of the year come with extended travel requirements, role-related year-end reporting, etc. which can bring additional stressors into the picture. For some employees, adding another workplace related event can be overwhelming. For some, simply the gift of time can be more meaningful than an office event.
• Be considerate of your whole audience. Planning events that are inclusive of your whole workforce makes all the difference. Whether that be remote employees and formats that allow for their participation, those with disabilities, or other special scenarios, ensuring your event is taking your whole audience into consideration and gives everyone an equal opportunity to participate is essential. This also must take into consideration the food and beverage being provided to ensure dietary restrictions are considered and to bring alcohol positioning into conversation to be mindful of sensitivities surrounding drinking.
• Form a diverse planning committee. Bringing perspectives from multiple backgrounds and areas of the organization can ensure multiple perspectives are represented in the initial decision-making process. Having multiple generations represented in this group can provide a voice to those that may value certain event characteristics over others, and vice versa. Planning committees can be a great way for someone to test their aptitude for a leadership role as well, as they may not have the opportunity to do so in their normal role or team.
• Ask for input in advance. Direct input from your employees is the best way to ensure they feel heard, valued, and that the event will be impactful. Taking employee input and leveraging it when it comes to locations, timing, food and beverage, and additional activities can ensure your employees feel as though they had a voice in the event.
• Consider post-event surveys. Feedback is a gift and one that is critical to future event success. Asking employees who attend year-end celebrations about their experience, and what they may look for in the future can help your team plan for an even better event for your organization in the years following.

Recognition and Appreciation

Oftentimes, annual awards are also announced during year-end workplace events.
For organizations of all sizes, it is important to ensure that various award types and levels are being announced for all levels within the organizations. These recognitions can provide a great opportunity to call out each contributor-type within the organization, not just the more public or high-performing roles.

Publishing criteria in advance can help reduce bias, rotate emcee roles, and keep remarks brief to maintain energy and engagement. Recognition should highlight progress as well as results.

Incorporating Post Event Feedback

As with all employee engagement events, it is important to gather and consider participant feedback. Sending out post-event surveys are great ways to get honest comments on how employees who attended the event felt about their overall experience. This can also provide an opportunity for those who opted to not attend the event to share if they experienced any participation barriers.

Making Benefits Visible

In communications relating to year-end activities, this is also a great opportunity to remind employees about the benefits available to them year-round, and how they can plan in advance for the end of the year:

• Highlight EAP support for holiday stress, financial planning tools, and more.
• Remind employees to use any funds that may expire at year-end.
• Ensure communications surrounding floating holidays, remaining PTO, or mental health days are shared well in advance so that employees and their teams can prepare to use their time off.

Year End Celebrations Have Impact

End of year celebrations go beyond holiday gatherings - they can be used for building a positive company culture and celebrating the diversity of the organization.

Employees who feel their workplace truly understands and values the same things that their employees do, will remain more deeply connected to the organization than those who don’t – and how your organization demonstrates that even through year-end celebration events makes an impact.

Start the conversation with your team today on how you can ensure your year-end events are meaningful and impactful to your whole organization.