Holiday Greetings in a Multicultural Workplace: How to Be Respectful

Martin owns a plumbing equipment company in a small city called Hilltop. His employees include immigrants from three different countries. Although many of Martin’s customers are based locally, his online store generates sales nation-wide. He also frequently interacts with a number of overseas suppliers. Outside of his work, Martin plays the trumpet in the Hilltop Community Band and has attended the same church since childhood.

As a business owner, Martin sets his own holiday policies. But over the years, he has found that one type of holiday messaging doesn’t work for all of his business contacts. So he uses different kinds of greetings and messages, depending on his audience.

If you are a business owner like Martin, or an employee working in a multicultural environment, the November and December holiday season might be a challenge for you. It can be tough to figure out which types of holiday-related messages are appropriate for your workplace and which ones should be avoided. When is it okay to wish someone a Merry Christmas? What if you are writing to a diverse group of people and you aren’t sure who celebrates which holidays? Or should you just ignore the holidays altogether?

As you have probably guessed, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach that will fit every workplace. Instead, we will go over some general guidelines to help you sort out what types of holiday greetings are right for your situation and for the people who will be receiving your messages.

Step One: Know Your Audience

Before you decide whether to mention a particular holiday–or any holidays–in a business email, think about who will be reading it.

If your email is directed at one person, your holiday message can be more personal. For example, if you are writing to a colleague who has mentioned taking the kids to Disneyland for “the holidays”, you can include a line or two about that in your response:

• I hope you and your kids have a wonderful holiday trip to Disneyland! I will see you when you come back to the office in January.

If you are writing an email to two or more people, take a moment to consider each individual’s culture or background. Are all of the members of the group celebrating the same holidays? If so, your greetings can be more specific:

• Have a fantastic Thanksgiving!
• May your eight days of Hanukkah be filled with warmth and light!
• May the Christmas spirit be upon you all!
• Wishing all of you a joyous Kwanzaa!

However, if the members of a group are celebrating different holidays, your holiday greeting should be less specific:

What if you are writing to a group that includes people who are not celebrating any of the November/December holidays? What if the major holidays of their culture occur at another time of the year? You want to acknowledge the holidays for those who are celebrating, yet you don’t want the rest of the group to feel excluded.

• I hope everyone out there has a safe and happy holiday season!
• Season’s greetings to everyone at ABC Company!

Messages of “joy and peace” can be used across cultures, so your greeting could include that sort of message. If everyone in the group email is getting a break from work or school, mentioning that in your email is a good way to bring everyone together:

• Enjoy your days off! I hope you all get some well-deserved rest!

• I will see you all when we come back from our break. Have a good one, everybody!

The more you know about the individuals who will be reading your email, the easier it is to tailor your message to your audience.

Step Two: Know the Policies of Your Company or Organization

If you are sending out any holiday-related messages as an employee or member of an organization, check their official policies first. They will typically allow general references to “the holidays”, but nothing specific to any religion or culture.

However, there are exceptions. For example, if your company advertises itself as a Christian business, they might encourage employees to say/write “Merry Christmas” instead of “Happy Holidays”.

On the other end of the spectrum are companies, schools, and other organizations that do not want their employees mentioning any holidays in their workplace communications. This is why it’s always a good idea to check!

 

Step Three: Do Your Holiday Homework

Let’s say you have received an email from a colleague who mentions that she is taking time off to observe a holiday that is unfamiliar to you. Assuming that your company is okay with it, should your reply include a line about how you hope she enjoys her holiday?

Before you use a word like “enjoy” or “happy”, do a little research. Yes, many holidays are filled with fun and festivities. However, other holidays are solemn occasions for prayer, fasting, and spiritual reflection, so “enjoy” or “happy” wouldn’t be appropriate. It would also be inappropriate to wish someone a happy holiday if the purpose of that day is to remember the victims of a war or major tragedy.

If your colleague is observing a strictly religious or solemn holiday, one of the following greetings might be appropriate:

• Have a blessed day.
• Have a good and easy fast.
• Peace be with you as you observe (name of holiday).
• Best wishes for you and your family on (name of holiday).

You can even dive deeper and find a more specific greeting to fit that particular holiday. This is a great way to show your consideration for your colleagues throughout the year, not only during “the holiday season”.

If you and an overseas colleague are celebrating the same holidays, you might still discover some cultural differences. In the UK, for example, “Happy Christmas” is the standard greeting for that holiday, while “Merry Christmas” is preferred in North America. Boxing Day is celebrated in Canada and the UK immediately after Christmas, but it generally isn’t observed in the United States.

You may also need to take note of the timing of holidays. For Roman Catholics and Protestants, Christmas is on December 25th, while Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate it on January 7th. Almost every culture has a New Year holiday, yet they take place at very different times. Therefore, even if your business calendar says that New Year’s Day on January 1st, you could find yourself wishing someone a “Happy New Year” almost every month!

Note: Be careful when using AI to help you research holidays, or cultural issues in general. AI tools do not always provide accurate information, and they are often biased. So instead of helping you, the AI tool might be churning out holiday messages that are offensive or just plain wrong.

Putting it All Together

Here is how Martin makes it all work.

Starting at the end of November, he offers a holiday discount. He advertises this discount on his website, through his email list, and in the local print newspapers. Not all of Martin’s customers are celebrating holidays at this time of the year, but no one complains. The advertisements aren’t directed at them personally, and almost every business runs similar ads at this time of the year. Besides, the customers like the discounts.

In the past, Martin would give his employees a Christmas bonus every December. As times changed, and as Martin’s pool of employees became more diverse, he started calling it a year-end bonus. Martin doesn’t want to make any of his employees feel uncomfortable by using holiday-related language when he pays the bonuses.

In a similar manner, instead of a holiday party, Martin throws an “ugly sweaters and silly hats party” for his employees every December. Some employees wear holiday-themed sweaters or hats, but some make other choices. This way, everyone feels comfortable participating.

In his emails to his overseas suppliers, Martin notifies them that his business “will be closed on December 23-25 and again from December 31-January 2nd due to the holidays.” Here, the main point is for the suppliers to be aware of the reason why the business is closed. Otherwise, they might assume there is some kind of problem.

As a member of the Hilltop Community Band, Martin helps promote their annual Winter Holiday Concert. The posters and online advertisements for this concert highlight the fact that there will be musical selections for “Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa” in addition to “winter classics.”

Meanwhile, Martin’s church has joined with four other local churches to collect Christmas gifts and food baskets for needy families in the community. Each of these comes with a handmade Christmas card with a greeting that is specific to that holiday.

Martin’s story shows how holiday messaging can be adapted to fit different contexts. Of course, your situation will probably be different, but hopefully this example can generate some ideas for you.

Do you need help crafting your holiday greetings? Our TextRanch editors will be happy to look at your messages, fix any issues, and give you some feedback. Just click the blue box below to get started.