Diversity Event Ideas in the Workplace: Inclusion with Creativity

The contemporary workplace is an amalgamation of diverse cultures and ideologies, leading to a rising demand for diversity event ideas in the workplace. This is where individuals of different cultures, races, ages, sexual orientations, and perspectives work toward a common goal. Working with people with such differences can sometimes lead to discrimination and disparity in the workplace.

Therefore, it is essential to sensitize employees to diversity and inclusion activities and promote workers' unique individuality. This will educate employees about diversity and create a sense of belonging to your workforce regardless of differences.

We are sharing some useful and efficient diversity event ideas in the workplace to promote diversity and inclusion.

Let’s get into it.

A. Thoughtful diversity event ideas in the workplace

Since you spend most of your time at work after home, it’s important to learn tips to make your workplace safe and inclusive. Here are some tips to get you started:

1. Storytelling workshops

A storytelling workshop is a great way to teach your team the art of storytelling while fostering diversity and inclusion. Employees get to share stories using unique techniques, which increases their confidence in speaking and writing. Most importantly, these workshops introduce participants to different backgrounds, promoting diversity in the workplace.

A great example of a storytelling activity is story links.  To play this, the teams first have an inclusion and diversity session based on real-life stories and unique experiences. Choose a person to initiate the story with a statement, and let the other participants contribute each sentence of the story.

This can go as “Last week I had an amazing croissant at this French restaurant in Chicago.” Then another team member can add a statement, “Next time you are there, try Chicken confit and French onion soup. The combination works like magic”. Other participants can add accordingly to let the story flow naturally.

2. Potluck lunch

Food is a great bonding item for many organizational setups, and workplaces are no exception. A potluck lunch is a great idea to start with. Employees can share their family or cultural recipes along with their stories. To ensure a full-course meal, divide the participants into groups to bring in appetizers, main meals, desserts, drinks, and snacks. You can even plan restaurant visits focusing on diverse cuisines throughout the year.  

3. Book club

Books are a fascinating way to engage the readers in your team, where they can educate themselves about different cultures, races, and genders. This helps your team to get diverse perspectives and discuss sensitive topics such as marginalized communities.

To start a book club:

• Define its purpose and specify all goals and objectives. It may be to promote awareness, facilitate discussion, or drive actionable change within the organization
• Select the books relevant to the topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Consider a wide range of perspectives, experiences, and identities in your book selection
• Ensure that it’s accessible and welcoming to all employees regardless of their background
• Discuss the format of the book club meeting. Is it going to be in-person or virtual? What about the duration of each session? How often are you going to meet? Also, establish ground rules to ensure respectful and constructive discussions

4. Disability awareness training

Disability work training will help your employees be more conscious of everyone’s needs and requirements at the workplace. Workers could freely communicate regardless of their disabilities and make the workplace welcoming and inclusive for all workers.

To make your workplace more inclusive and disability-friendly, here is what you can do:

• Outline the goals and objectives of the training, such as increased awareness, empathy, and inclusion of individuals with disabilities in the workplace
• Assess training needs to understand the current level of awareness and understanding among employees
• Choose the format of training and content based on the needs and preferences of the organization
• Include a mix of interactive workshops, presentations, guest speakers, and multimedia resources to engage participants 
• Ensure all training materials and delivery methods are accessible to all participants, especially those with disabilities. Include accommodations such as sign language interpreters, captioning, and materials in alternative formats

5. Diversity calendar celebration

A diversity calendar celebration is a thoughtful way to observe workplace equity, diversity, and inclusion. You need to do your research to know all your team members’ holidays and special days.

You do not necessarily need to give teams an off during every holiday or observation. But you can make considerate gestures such as a happy hour, office games, or wishing players a happy holiday.

Some of the holidays you can observe:

• International women’s day
• World gratitude day
• Disability Employment Awareness Month
• International music day
• World food day
• St. George’s Day
• Buddha’s Birthday Observation
• Mother’s day
• Black history month
• Pride month

6. Snapshot board

A snapshot board is an excellent idea for sparking diversity discussions. It’s an area in the office where workers can display essential aspects of their lives. 

Here are some ideas for the snapshot board:

• Feature success stories and testimonials from employees who have benefited from diversity and inclusion initiatives 
• Include quotes and citations from leaders, employees, or thought leaders about the importance of diversity and inclusion
• Display information about diversity and inclusion programs, resources, and support networks available within the organization, like mentorship programs, employee resource groups, and diversity training initiatives
• Utilize infographics or charts to visually represent key diversity initiative metrics such as workforce demographics, employee engagement survey results, and progress toward goals
• Update the snapshot board regularly with fresh content and information to illustrate ongoing efforts and progress in promoting diversity and inclusion

7. Icebreaker activities

Icebreaker sessions are a simple but effective activity that can spark conversations. To play this, you must provide teams with fun questions, allowing participants to express their interests and personality. To keep it entertaining, reject one-word answers and let participants open a discussion on in-depth topics. 

Here are some questions you can ask during the icebreaker activities:

• When and where was your first international trip?
• What is your favorite childhood memory?
• What is your favorite food?
• What is the history of your lineage?
• Does your name have religious and ethnic meanings?
• What was your nickname in school?

8. Cooking lessons

Cooking lessons are great for learning about another culture‘s food and can be an excellent way to promote worker bonding amid cultural differences.

This is how you can start:

• Ask each participant to list foods from a different heritage that they are curious about learning the recipes
• Select themes for the cooking classes that celebrate different cultures and cuisines represented in your workplace, such as international cuisine. traditional dishes, and fusion cooking
• Approach chefs or instructors who are knowledgeable about the selected cuisines. This could be anyone from professional chefs, local culinary experts, or employees who have expertise in cooking
• Plan the menu for each cooking class. Include dishes that are representative of the chosen theme and suitable for a group setting
• Arrange the necessary equipment and ingredients for the cooking classes. Ensure you buy fresh and readily available ingredients
• Encourage employees to sign up for the cooking classes. Some of the ways to promote participation are through email newsletters, posters, and announcements
• Collect feedback from the participants to identify areas for improvement and plan better for future classes

9. Film sessions

Film sessions offer interactive bonding along with interesting team-building activities. You can visit a theatre with your team or rent a projector so everyone can watch in a fun space while discussing.

Here are some ways to do it:

• Choose relevant films that address critical diversity, equity, and inclusion themes. Explore a wide range of topics such as race, gender, sexuality, disability, immigration, social justice, and intersectionality
• Set the schedule taking into account the availability of participants and the length of the films
• Encourage teammates to join the session and promote through internal communication channels such as social media, posters, newsletters, etc
• Provide background information before each screening that includes a brief synopsis, information about the director and cast, and any relevant content warnings
• Create a safe space for facilitating discussions after each screening to dwell on the themes, messages, and impact of the film

10. Build generational perspectives

Due to a generational gap, many workers may feel excluded from the workplace. Building generational perspectives can help in avoiding age-based discrimination in the workplace. One of the fun ways to do it is by playing popular music of each generation. This is an excellent way to promote team bonding while learning about each other.

Another way to do this would be organizing a trivia session where teams answer questions about their growing-up experiences. This will help people of all ages identify and respect their differences and create an inclusive environment.

11. Speak your truth sessions

Speak Your Truth sessions include activities that encourage employees to open up and speak about their experiences or any discrimination they have faced. Encourage your teammates to be open and honest during the session and to ask questions that can lead to inclusive conversations.

This activity can help teams to open up about conversations that would otherwise be difficult to initiate. Don’t forget to give workers trigger warnings before revealing sensitive information.

Here are some questions you can ask:

• Have you ever faced discrimination? If yes, how did you deal with it?
• What actions would you take if you noticed someone discriminating openly in your workplace?
• If you were the company director, what policies would you offer to enhance inclusion in the workplace?

12. Unconscious bias training

Most often, we are unaware of the internal biases we have picked up from our society and environment. Unconscious bias training programs are necessary to expose workers to their implicit biases. The training can also help teams adjust their automatic thinking patterns and help eliminate discriminatory behaviors.

Some examples of unconscious bias include:

• Gender pay gap
• Favoring specific genders in the hiring process
• Discrimination of older workers or female workers
• Interacting more with teammates with similar backgrounds, interests, or experiences
• Disliking a colleague due to their political affiliation
• Refusing to pair with LGBTQ+ coworkers

13. What do we have in common

This is among the best diversity icebreaker activities, bringing teams together.

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This is how you play it:

• Divide your team into groups of three
• Let three workers stand in a circle
• Give each team two minutes to find three traits that all players have in common. Prohibit listing of apparent traits such as gender or hair color. Some examples include workers born in the same city, dog lovers, having three or more siblings, etc.
• Whichever group finishes the activity first gets to sit
• After the first round is over, let participants pair up with other players and repeat the exercise

14. Life map

This activity helps teams to learn more about each other’s origin, growth, and future and is perfect for large and diverse workforces. 

Here’s how you can play it:

• Handout a drawing paper and pen to each participant
• Ask participants to write about their origin, growth journey, and future goals within five minutes. Teams can share as much or as little information as they want, as all writing will be anonymous
• After it’s done, let all participants fold the paper and toss it around the room
• Each participant will pick up a paper and read it aloud
• All participants will guess who wrote the paper
• Hold a discussion round after the activity to let each participant state one trait they have learned about a random colleague

B. Upholding diversity with Ticket Generator

Taking steps for diversity and inclusion in your organization is important because it creates a sense of belonging for each individual. The diversity event ideas in the workplace we have shared will help you in team building, identifying unconscious biases, and improving the overall health of your company culture and brand.

If you need help organizing your diversity and inclusion events, Ticket Generator is the right tool. It helps you to streamline your event management process from start to finish.

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