28 Ideas and Activities to Observe AAPI Heritage Month at Work
We asked some of our partner companies what they’re doing to honor the occasion at work — Keep reading to see what they said!
Support organizations working to solve issues affecting the AAPI community — EnerSys
“EnerSys® is proud to support organizations across the world that are working to solve critical issues affecting local communities. In our partnership with the Its Time Foundation, whose mission is to deliver renewable power solutions to remote Pacific Island schools that transforms educational outcomes and reduces carbon emissions, EnerSys-supplied equipment is being used to install new solar equipment at schools in Fiji. Many Pacific Island schools struggle with limited and unreliable generators as their only source of electricity which makes it challenging to provide students with a modern education. These Cabinets & FLEXpower integrated inverter systems from EnerSys provide reliable, cleaner and greener power to schools so they can operate their internet for longer, and redirect school funding from buying generator-fuel to buying computers and other educational resources.”
Learn more about EnerSys here.
Spotlight an AAPI community member — CDW
“CDW will celebrate the heritage, culture and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States during the month of May. Our Pan Asian Council (PAC) Business Resource Group (BRG) will be hosting coworker virtual events with the theme ‘Persevering Through Change’ and celebrating the AAPI community at CDW through coworker spotlights.
Hear from two members of our PAC BRG on the #LifeAtCDW blog.”
Learn more about CDW here.
Discuss current issues affecting the AAPI community — Dassault Systèmes
“We believe people are our number one asset and we want everyone to feel empowered to bring their whole selves to work every day. As we continue our internal Inclusion Series, to help commemorate Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, we are planning to have the co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate and Executive Director of the AAPI Equity alliance, virtually discuss with our employees the current climate with the pandemic and how it has affected the AAPI Community. Stop APPI Hate tracks and responds to incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States.”
Learn more about Dassault Systems here.
Explore Asian identity across diverse topics — PwC
“Throughout Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, PwCers will have the opportunity to connect and gain a better understanding of the experiences, challenges, and contributions of the Asian community. The firm will host events exploring Asian identity across several topics, including Asian representation in entertainment, the role of food in Asian culture and traditions, and leveraging empathy to continue fostering an inclusive mindset. The firm will also highlight causes and organizations supporting the civil and human rights of the Asian community, such as The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, and The ACLU Foundation.”
—PwC Spokesperson
Learn more about PwC here.
Host a panel addressing the richness of the Asian diaspora— T. Rowe Price
“To celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, T. Rowe Price is hosting a signature event for associates. The event aligns with the cultural theme, Renewing and Rebuilding: Our Communities and Beyond, and will feature John Yang, President and Executive Director at Asian Americans Advancing Justice. The moderated panel will discuss implications of the “bamboo” ceiling, anti-Asian hate, and stereotypes on the community. In addition, and equally important, the richness of the Asian diaspora will be highlighted.”
Learn more about T. Rowe Price here.
Host a film screening featuring an AAPI director — Splunk
“Splunk’s Pilipinx Employee Resource Group has special programming and activities around the theme of resiliency with the capacity to recover quickly from difficult events in the face of adversity.
Some exciting events we’ve enjoyed are partnering with our Pride ERG to host a screening of The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros, posting AAPI history trivia questions in our globally shared #diversity Slack channel, offering a “Not Your Typical History Lesson” workshop, and virtually coming together for our Pil-Am Pyesta fundraiser, raising over $15,000 for Right to Be.”
Join us as we build community and lift up our stories together!
#SplunkLife
Learn more about Splunk here.
Learn about traditions, food, and music — SoundCloud
“While Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month is primarily a cultural month celebrated in the US, internally at SoundCloud we recognize that Asia is an extraordinarily large region of the world and experiences vary widely. This year we celebrate all those who identify as Asian and Pacific across the US, UK and Europe. Our theme is Voices of Asia and we are bringing real life experiences to SoundClouders with having an internal panel inclusive of discussions around traditions, introducing different cultural foods and partnering with Asian-owned and led music organizations as we curated combined playlists of our artists.”
Learn more about SoundCloud here.
Offer paid volunteer time off— CHG Healthcare
To honor the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community during AAPI Heritage Month, CHG will offer ways our employees can learn about, honor, and support the AAPI community this month and year-round. We’ll also offer eight hours of paid volunteer time off to explore these culturally significant historical sites:
- Topaz Internment and Concentration Camp site and museum, Utah. A monument to the nearly 10,000 Japanese Americans who were forcibly removed from their homes and imprisoned here.
- Morikami Japanese Cultural Arts Museum, Florida. This museum is a center for Japanese arts and culture, housing a Seishin-era tea house, outreach programs, and Japanese traditional festivals.
Learn more about CHG Healthcare here.
Empower students and early career professionals — ServiceNow
“At ServiceNow, we’re proud to be honoring Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month and invite all employees to learn about the various cultures within the API community and the experience of being API at ServiceNow. We aim to empower everyone across the company, globally, to— be seen, be heard, and be united. This includes 3 of our early in career co-ops, who are international students that faced challenges when seeking jobs within the United States. See how ServiceNow welcomed and celebrated their unique backgrounds across the company, including our API at ServiceNow Belonging Group.
Explore career opportunities with ServiceNow today.”
Learn more about ServiceNow here.
Host a book club featuring an AAPI author — SeatGeek
“At SeatGeek the AAPI group will be hosting events to highlight and celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Our activities foster learning and enrichment, advocacy and advancement, and community and social connection. Our upcoming events include:
- Cooking Night with Omson kits. Omsom is an Asian-American founded business that makes pan-Asian inspired spice kits.
- Collective Rest session. Also an Asian-American founded business, The Cosmos provides guided reflection and relaxation practices that support participants in times of grief and loss.
- Book club. We're currently reading and discussing See No Stranger, a memoir written by Sikh activist and civil rights lawyer Valarie Kaur.”
Learn more about SeatGeek here.
Amplify Y(our) Voice — Nike, Inc.
“NIKE, Inc.’s Ascend Network will drive intersectional programming for Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month – highlighting their five associations: Ascend Middle East & North Africa, Ascend South Asia, Ascend Southeast Asia, Ascend East Asia, Ascend Pacific Islands. The theme, Amplify Y(our) Voice serves as a tribute to the power of representation. Through educational conversations and inspirational moments, the Network will celebrate these diverse cultures, unpack the struggles each community within Ascend faces and acknowledge the collective action needed to continue breaking barriers.”
Learn more about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Nike: https://jobs.nike.com/diversity-and-inclusion.
Learn more about Nike here.
Create unique Zoom backgrounds with quotes from influential Asian leaders — Moody’s
“In observance of Asian/Pacific American Heritage, Moody’s is hosting several events including Mental Health Awareness event co-sponsored by AAPI, Multicultural, Mental Health, Women’s business resource groups, another event focusing on AAPI Heritage and related topics and an employee Communications workshop co-sponsored by AAPI and Generational business resource groups. We will also be sharing newsletters that reflect on Asian Heritage, providing zoom backgrounds and screensavers to our colleagues that highlight quotes from influential/ historic Asian leaders.”
Learn more about Moody’s here.
Host a virtual tea tasting — Teachers Pay Teachers
“To honor Asian Pacific American Heritage Month this year, members of Bento, TpT’s employee resource group for AAPI employees + allies, are each making a short video sharing a personal “fun fact” relating to one’s heritage, with trivia to follow.
Bento will also host a virtual tea tasting, where folks will learn about and engage with some of the rich cultures and histories under the AAPI umbrella.
We see this month as not just an opportunity to educate others about AAPI history, but also to foster personal connection by sharing our own stories and cultural practices.”
Learn more about Teachers Pay Teachers here.
Hold in-person meetups to foster connections on a local level — Autodesk
“Autodesk Asian Network (AAN) is celebrating Asian Heritage Month with a series of virtual and in-person events this year! To kick-off the celebration, AAN’s Executive Sponsor, Raji Arasu (Chief Technology Officer) will host a Fireside chat with tech leaders outside of Autodesk. Following the kick-off event we will continue the celebration with Olympic Champion Kristi Yamaguchi as our keynote speaker, and a number of in-person meetups to engage and inspire employees on a local level.”
Learn more about Autodesk here.
Celebrate Asians globally — Skedulo
“As a growing company with a global presence, Skedulo is excited to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage month throughout the month of May. We are launching an internal dialogue campaign around AA/API identity and its impact and influence on colleagues across our offices that span four continents. We are also inviting guest speaker Helen Ma, President of Project by Project to chat about their work, the history behind AAPI Heritage month, the continued issues with Anti-Asian hate, dispelling the model minority myth, and how others can be an ally. Another point of engagement are interactive sessions to learn about and practice Tai chi. Our hope is to amplify AA/API voices from across the globe, educate our colleagues about this month, and create inclusive learning opportunities.”
Learn more about Skedulo here.
Support physical and mental health organizations for local Asian communities — PagerDuty
“For Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, PagerDuty’s AP/I employee resource group Illuminate aims to recognize and uplift the unique experiences of the Asian community. We will kick off the month with a company-wide activity where employees can learn more about the rich history and diverse cultures within the A/PI community. Internal employees will share their unique stories on a company-wide panel and through social media posts. Throughout the month, we will be highlighting resources and organizations supporting physical and mental health for our local Asian communities.”
Learn more about PagerDuty here.
Address the lack of Asian leadership — Yelp
“Asians in tech aren’t underrepresented. Yet, among leadership ranks, the numbers remain disproportionately low. This month, we’re bringing visibility to this disparity by hosting a panel with a few of our Asian leaders within Yelp on their respective journeys. We wrap up our Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month celebrations with a virtual concert featuring up-and-coming AAPI artists.”
Learn more about Yelp here.Kick off an anti-Asian violence campaign — Equinix
"At Equinix, we all stand together shoulder to shoulder, amplifying the voices and stories of our Asian and Pacific Islander colleagues by continuing to learn about API cultural heritage. All are welcome to join on the interASIANconnect Employee Resource group to gain understanding, celebrate and promote awareness API culture.
Last February, Equinix kicked off an anti-Asian Violence campaign and matched employee donations by 2:1. These proceeds went towards COVID relief efforts, benefitting two Asian countries—India and the Philippines. We have raised over $16,000 to date; a true reflection of how our community has come together during this time."
Learn more about Equinix here.
Throw a virtual trivia party — 1Password
“As part of recognizing AAPI Heritage month in the U.S. and Asian Heritage Month in Canada, 1Password will be hosting an Anti Racism at Work webinar to deepen our anti-bias learning. To celebrate along with our Asian American and Pacific Islander friends and colleagues, we’re also throwing a virtual trivia party hosted by Bar None games, giving us a chance to strengthen our diverse culture and community together.”
Learn more about 1Password here.
Honor Asian and Pacific Islander culture through employee events — Elastic
“At Elastic we are working with our ElastAsians, an Asian and Pacific Islander Elastician Resource Group (ERG), which will help to honor "ElastAsians Heritage Month" in celebration of Asian American, Asian and Pacific Islander Month. During this month, we will honor the history and cultural richness of these groups, as well as the countless contributions to popular culture, music, food, dance, science, art, economics, tech, politics, and other fields.
We encourage employees to join the conversation by...
- Using a custom ElastAsians Heritage Month Zoom background
- Participating in Employee events
- Featuring Asian Girls Ignite and others
- ElastAsians Heritage Month Cultural Presentation”
Learn more about Elastic here.
Host a coding session with students and employees to celebrate computer science — Datadog
“Throughout the month of May, Datadogs will be observing and celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Our Asian, Middle Eastern, Pacific Islander Employees at Datadog (AMPED) Community Guild will be hosting programming to support our colleagues and communities globally. We’re thrilled to be joined by an external keynote speaker who will lead a discussion on turning hardship into power and how we can support marginalized communities at Datadog. AMPED will be holding a leadership panel in line with the 2022 AAPI Month theme, Advancing Leaders Through Collaboration, where we’ll explore topics such as minority representation, self advocacy, and mentorship in navigating one’s career path. In partnership with South Asian Youth Action (SAYA), an organization that provides resources to underprivileged, low- income high school students in NYC, AMPED will also facilitate our first ever Hour Of Code in our Datadog NYC office! This will be an opportunity for students to be paired with Datadogs for a fun, one-hour coding session to celebrate computer science. Stay tuned on our social media pages for more information on these initiatives, and others to come! #DatadogLife”
Learn more about Datadog here.Provide employees with leadership development opportunities — Northrop Grumman
“Northrop Grumman is celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month!
Northrop Grumman’s AANHPI Employee Resource Group (ERG) is made up of a strong network of employees from around the country. During Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month and throughout the year, AANHPI ERG provides our employees professional/leadership development, cultural celebrations, community outreach opportunities, discussions on career growth, work/life balance and much more!
“Here at Northrop Grumman, we work on the nation’s hardest problems, which requires a diverse group of thinkers to develop innovative solutions that defines what’s possible. I am humbled to work with our best and brightest scientists and engineers. But what really keeps us here is the culture: inclusivity, community, and respect.”
– Gefferie Yee-Madera, Vice President of Engineering, Strategic Space Systems Division"
Learn more about Northrop Grumman here.
Host an internal fireside chat about Asian representation — Riot Games
“In honor of AAPI Heritage Month, Rioters will be celebrating across the organization in our offices all around the world. This year, Riot’s new Asian Pacific Islander (API) employee resource group has planned talks, events, and more for Rioters to participate in throughout the month.
Last year’s celebration culminated in an internal fireside chat to talk about Asian American representation in League of Legends and provided an inside look at K/DA Seraphine. They talked about how her Asian American identity informed her design, lore, and social media presence. You can check the conversation above.”
Learn more about Riot Games here.
Feature content written by API employees — Workiva
“To celebrate this month we’re leveraging our company-wide intranet – a space for all employees to share and celebrate their heritage – to feature content on the history of AAPI month and highlight how employees can support this community. We’ll also continue our monthly blog series authored by members of our Asia-Pacific team which shares everything from local cuisine and the importance of Sakura to celebrations of recent team wins. To foster diversity, inclusion and belonging, we’re encouraging employees to consider joining our Asian Business Employee Resource Group as community members or allies.”
Learn more about Workiva here.Sponsor local festivals and initiatives — Nestlé USA
“Nestlé looks forward to celebrating AAPI Heritage Month with a variety of activities offered to our employees and potential candidates, presented by our Pan Asian Network ERG, including serving as a proud sponsor for the Cleveland Asian Festival. We are also excited to host a conversation with author Jane Hyun, bestselling author of Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling, on the art of cultural fluency and how to get the most out of people with diverse backgrounds..”
Learn more about Nestlé USA here.
Host a live cook-along — Invesco
“Invesco is proud to celebrate Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May. Our employee-led Pan-Asian Professionals Network is hosting a month of activities celebrating the cultures, traditions and customs of the community under the theme of Celebrating our Togetherness. Events throughout the month include sharing personal stories, a live cook-along and cultural trivia game-show style events.”
Learn more about Invesco here.
Host a habit-building challenge — SoftwareONE
“To drive more awareness and education surrounding Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, SoftwareOne North America, along with its cross-functional employee diversity equity and inclusion committee – ‘Mosaic’ – will host a 21-day racial equity and habit building challenge. This program is part of a series of learning opportunities intended to assist employees with becoming more engaged, compassionate and constructive in our continued quest for racial equity by providing educational resources, highlighting influential figures, and promoting employee stories. We’ll wrap this program with an internal round table discussion on the AAPI experience and how best to celebrate critical contributions to equity year-round.?
Learn more about SoftwareONE here.
10+ Ways Companies Are Supporting Muslim Employees at Work During Ramadan (and Beyond)
One easy way to get started is by using the greeting Ramadan Mubarak, which translates to “Blessed Ramadan.” It’s commonly used to send well wishes to Muslims observing Ramadan and the traditions that come with it.
But supporting Muslim employees and colleagues at work is not just thinking about what to say to someone celebrating Ramadan, it’s about and considering how you can better support them every day. We asked some of our partner companies to tell us how they're supporting Muslim employees during Ramadan and all year-round. Keep hearing to hear what they had to say in their own words.
BlackRock— host a virtual Eid celebration
“Last year, BlackRock's Asian & Middle Eastern Professionals (AMP) Network put together a virtual Eid celebration. This year, AMP is holding a virtual Spring Parade that will acknowledge the way different cultures celebrate Spring during the month of Ramadan. During the parade, colleagues will share photos, videos and educational presentations about Nowruz, which many of our Muslim colleagues also celebrate. AMP hopes to continue to provide opportunities for employees to gain cultural awareness and celebrate with one another during events like these throughout the year.”
Learn more about BlackRock here.
1Password— allow flexible working hours to accommodate fasting and prayer schedules
“As a remote-first company, 1Password has valued the importance of work-life balance since our inception in 2005. We want everyone's health, happiness, and fulfillment to be a top priority at work and at home. That means providing as much flexibility as possible for the wellbeing of all our employees, including our Muslim team members. Whether fasting, praying, or taking some time for introspection, we encourage our team to take the time they need to celebrate or practice during both Ramadan and all year round.”
Learn more about 1Password here.
Procore— learn how your team can join in on the celebration
“Ramadan (April 2-May 2) celebrates prayer and reflection among Muslims worldwide. Procore encourages all Procorians to bring their whole selves to work and make adjustments to support their family, faith, and community throughout the year. Tas Sachak shared how her Customer Support team supported her during Ramadan, including joining her to “open [her] fast” and ordering a prayer rug for Tas to use in-office. Tas explained, “these efforts to enhance inclusion helped me to feel respected even though I’m the only team member who practices Ramadan. My colleagues’ efforts to embrace and include me as an individual was extremely touching."
Learn more about Procore here.
Moody’s— create awareness around the significance of Ramadan
“Moody's recognizes and supports Muslim employees, and actively encourages flexibility to Muslim colleagues to choose their work hours during Ramadan. Moody’s Multicultural BRG promotes articles and newsletters that help create awareness around the practices and significance of this month and provides information for team members interacting with colleagues who observe Ramadan, regardless of their geographical location. Also, Moody’s is hosting two events; one will focus on Eid to mark the end of Ramadan and the other will highlight of the importance of Ramadan and its traditions.”
Learn more about Moody’s here.
Pluralsight— be mindful when scheduling meeting and setting project deadlines
“At Pluralsight, we celebrate the diversity that powers our teams. We recognize Ramadan as a time of hope and reflection for our Muslim team members. Our unlimited paid time-off policy is designed so that team members can take time away to rest and recharge, including any time needed for our Muslim team members around the world during the month of Ramadan. We also encourage our people leaders to provide flexibility in scheduling meetings, setting project deliverables, and other tasks as appropriate to support our Muslim team members from sunrise to sunset during this holy month.”
Learn more about Pluralsight here.
Cummins— set apart an in-office prayer space
“I have been at Cummins for about 12 years now based in Huddersfield UK. As a practicing Muslim every year I practice Ramadan (fast) which is 1 of the 5 pillars of Islam. Ramadan lasts for a whole month and during daylight hours practicing Muslims are not permitted to mainly eat or drink during this time. During the summer periods the fast can last for 21 hours in the UK.
Since the introduction of flexible working hours, I’ve been able to change my work patterns to help me work and rest during the month of Ramadan without affecting my work.
There is a multi-faith room on-site and this has helped me to pray my 5 daily prayers. The local diversity council have held Ramadan awareness events to talk with our colleagues for awareness and helped to celebrate Eid together”.
Malik, Customer & Product Quality leader, Cummins
Learn more about Cummins here.
SoftwareOne— launch an educational campaign with best practices to support Muslim colleagues and customers
“Inclusivity and belonging are a few of the cornerstones of the SoftwareONE experience. In order to further develop culturally proficient employees, SoftwareONE provides extensive learning opportunities to facilitate an accepting and informed workplace. For the upcoming Ramadan holy month, we launched an educational campaign highlighting best practices to support our Muslim colleagues and customers. Additionally, in partnership with our Muslim employees, we’ll host a roundtable discussion that encourages dialogue about Ramadan, its religious significance, history, and cultural practices. By utilizing multiple communication platforms, SoftwareONE works to ensure our Muslim employees feel celebrated, included, and supported throughout Ramadan and beyond. ”
Learn more about SoftwareOne here.
PagerDuty— allow employees to choose where they want to work: at home, in office, or hybrid
“At PagerDuty, we offer a flexible work model that allows employees to choose where they want to work - hybrid, office, or anywhere. This provides space for employees to observe cultural and religious practices in an atmosphere that is comfortable to them. Those working in the office are offered a supportive and inclusive workplace, allowing for private areas to have a moment of pause. We have prayer rooms in our Atlanta, San Francisco, and Toronto offices, as well as prayer mat storage. Additionally we offer generous paid time off and a floating holiday that can be taken to observe/celebrate holidays for various religions.”
Learn more about PagerDuty here.
Splunk— encourage a work / life blend to take time for suhur and ifter and rest when needed
“Splunk is a people-centric company, putting supportive measures in place so employees can bring their best and most authentic selves to work.
During the holy month of Ramadan (and year round) Splunkers are supported with a healthy, connected, flexible and sustainable work environment, encouraging time to recognize suhur and ifter.
Splunk supports diverse and flexible options and locations where we work with an emphasis on inclusion. It’s Splunk’s over 8,000 employees around the world whose values shape our ever evolving company culture.
If you would like to learn more about life at Splunk, please visit splunk.com/careers #WeAreSplunk ”
Learn more about Splunk here.
Workiva— encourage Muslim employees to connect and celebrate together
“Here at Workiva, our Asia-Pacific teams are putting together a virtual Eid celebration to commemorate the end of Ramadan. In this way, Workivians who celebrate will be able to connect with others across the world who also commemorate Ramadan and share their experiences. We also support our employees who celebrate by providing the flexibility to schedule their working hours and the possibility of remote work so they are able to accommodate the traditional Iftar meal and prayers after sunset. This also allows them to travel, gather with their loved ones, and attend celebrations.”
Learn more about Workiva here.
Equinix— celebrate spiritual diversity through learning sessions
"Equinix is committed to supporting our employees’ wellbeing, including their needs to worship in accordance with their faiths. Bolstered by our employee resource group, FaithConnect, whose mission is to inspire a culture of learning and respect for all faiths, non-faiths and worldviews in the workplace, we look to lay a foundation of belonging and holistic wellbeing at Equinix.
We know that by celebrating spiritual diversity, employees can bring their whole authentic self to work. Ramadan is just one example. Employees have access to quiet rooms for prayer, which is supportive every day, but certainly during Ramadan. We have hosted learning sessions open to everyone to hear more about this holiday—some employees even chose to join their fasting colleagues. In short, we encourage people of all beliefs to connect and better understand each other."
Learn more about Equinix here.
Elastic— encourage employees to come as they are
“At Elastic our "Source code" helps create a culture where individuals from all faiths have the freedom and flexibility to practice their religious beliefs, which is especially important to our Muslim employees during Ramadan.
One part of our source code is "Home, Dinner'' where we encourage employees to make their work timetable fit around their own needs such as Iftar. Another aspect of our Source Code is for people to come "As you are'' where we want Elasticians to bring their whole selves to work; as employees, parents, citizens of the world and as Muslims.”
Learn more about Elastic here.
35+ Ways to Celebrate Black History Month in the Workplace
Host events by Black creatives — Cockroach Labs
“Cockroach Labs is celebrating Black History Month with Black@CRL, our community of Black Roachers, guiding programming. Throughout the month, we'll be highlighting central figures in Black History across company channels for broad visibility, inviting Black creatives to host events including cooking classes, tastings, and more. We plan on capping the month with a panel in which leaders creating opportunities for Black talent in the tech industry will share their stories and strategies for accomplishing their work. We believe that the time to celebrate Black History is all the time, which is why we run Black@CRL programming year-round.”
Learn more about Cockroach Labs here
Highlight Black health and wellness experts — ServiceNow
“The national theme for Black History Month is “Black Health and Wellness.” ServiceNow will build off of this theme by highlighting Black experts in the field of health and wellness and approaches to strengthening mental health, fitness and nutrition. We will host a series of events featuring special guest speakers, ServiceNow leaders, employee panels and interactive dialogues. Additionally, we will offer volunteer opportunities for employees to give back to nonprofit organizations that advocate for health and wellness in the Black community and those that support the education of Black history and culture.”
Learn more about ServiceNow here.
Celebrate Black contributions, culture, and presence — Freddie Mac
“In recognition of Black History Month, our ARISE (African Diaspora, Resources and Information Sharing for Everyone) business resource group (BRG) will engage employees through a series of events that celebrate Black contributions, culture and presence. Inclusive engagement events include an equitable housing panel discussion, a Black Women’s Symposium, a Black executives panel and other total-wellbeing sessions. ”
Learn more about Freddie Mac here.
Donate to Black-led organizations — Autodesk
“Autodesk's focus for this year's Black History Month celebration will emphasize "The Importance of Black Health and Wellness". We're honoring this month by donating to the Black Joy Parade and committing to an unrestricted donation to the Hidden Genius Project for the next three years. We're also hosting various local and global virtual events, including a Southern BBQ experience, virtual yoga, a virtual tour through the Museum of African Diaspora Exhibits, and a Panel Discussion with our CEO.”
Learn more about Autodesk here.
Host a self care webinar — Cummins
“Cummins is excited for the upcoming Black History Month celebration! The Cummins Black Network, one of the many employee resource groups at Cummins, will be hosting several events with the theme ‘Black Health & Wellness’. Employees will have the opportunity to attend and actively participate in several events throughout the month, such as a live cooking session with Chef Sandy, an interactive ‘Self-Care is Wellness’ webinar, and even a ‘Basics of Yoga’ session! Check out @CumminsCareers on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to follow along as Cummins celebrates Black History Month! ”
Learn more about Cummins here.
Showcase the imagination and artistry in the community — Riot Games
“Our BIPOC employee resource group, Riot Noir, continues their ongoing mission for Black Heritage Month to celebrate Black culture and amplify Black voices. This year they embrace the theme of creativity by showcasing the imagination, innovation and artistry within the Black community. They will explore unique stories across gaming and entertainment and will host various events throughout the month including a keynote panel, a digital showcase, and a local industry event in partnership with Valence.community."
Learn more about Riot Games here.
Play Black history month trivia — SoundCloud
"SoundCloud wants to service the role of education and celebration by continuing conversations about how Black music and artists have documented moments in history and kept the spirit of celebration and self-expression alive. Our platform and social channels will speak to the roles that Black artists have played in archiving history and how music inspires the future of Black history, culture, and art. SoundClouders can also
- Sign up for Conscious and Confident communication workshops
- Win Self-Care packages from Black-owned businesses during Black History Month Trivia
- Find and contribute to our lists of local Black-owned businesses
- Read and listen to practical tips for practicing allyship, speaking to children about race, and understanding more about the Black experience today
- Celebrate our Faces of SoundCloud campaign on SoundCloud’s LinkedIn account"
Learn more about SoundCloud here.
Focus on physical, mental, and financial health — Lockheed Martin
“This February, Lockheed Martin is planning a series of events centered around the theme “Health and Wellness and its Impact on the Black Community”. Led by the Business Resource Group, Black Excellence Council (B.E.C), these events will engage our employee population across the country by promoting the importance of community wellness, as well as physical, mental, and financial health. Each week Lockheed Martin employees will participate in workshops and events including, Couch Conversations – You Are What You Eat, Breaking the Stigma: A Discussion on Mental Health in the Black Community, and Strategies for Developing a Legacy of Values and Finances.”
Learn more about Lockheed Martin here.
Celebrate Black History Through Parenthood and Wellness — Yelp
"To kick off this Black History Month, we want to shine a light on our Black parents. From family planning disparities in healthcare to tough, necessary conversations with their children on safety, Black parents have unique concerns. Our employees are invited to a virtual panel where we’ll dive into meaningful conversations. To keep the dialogue going, we’ll host several other events, including a fireside chat about the history of the Black Panther Party. We’ll also hear from a Black- and queer-run wellness consultancy on decreasing stress and anxiety, and establishing healthy boundaries while working remotely.
Learn more about Yelp here.
Cultivate a safe and inclusive culture — Datadog
“Throughout the month of February, Datadog’s Black in Technology Community Guild will host programming and events to support our colleagues, focused around the theme of Black health and wellness. We are dedicated to having conversations that will help us cultivate a safe and inclusive culture, while promoting healing and wellness in communities of color. We will host a panel discussion available to all employees to spotlight our Black leaders and allies and workshops to explore diverse healing modalities and expression through different mediums.”
Learn more about Datadog here.
Participate in interactive learning experiences — Clarus Commerce
“The DEI Employee Resource Group at Clarus Commerce is looking forward to celebrating Black History Month. First, our company will participate in an interactive learning and celebratory experience through an online platform that will consist of Black history trivia as well as recognition of key contributors, inventors and trailblazers that have helped shape our society today. Second, we will host an employee-led panel discussion on the perspectives, importance and influence of Black history.”
Learn more about Clarus Commerce here.
Unlock your potential — PayPal
“Black History Month is just around the corner. We’re proud to announce the theme for this year’s Black History Month: Unlocking and Amplifying our Fullest Potential—Bringing Focus to Holistic Black Wellness. While we acknowledge that everyone celebrates it in their own way, we wanted to share what PayPal's Black Employee Resource Group, Amplify, has planned for this month of celebration.
Upcoming BHM Events:
- Week 1: Unlocking and Amplifying our Fullest Potential; Bringing Focus to Career and Professional Development
- Week 2: From Scraps to Seen; Unlocking and Amplifying our Fullest Potential; Exploring the Dynamic Relationship between History, Sound and Flavor
- Week 3: Spoken Word Event
- Week 4: Unlocking and Amplifying our Fullest Potential: Bringing Focus to Holistic Black Wellness"
Learn more about PayPal here.
Honor Black history month by celebrating Black Excellence — CU Direct
"The Black Employees Striving in Tech (BEST) ERG honors Black History Month by holding various events. Our guest speaker, Renee Sattiewhite, CEO and President of the African American Credit Union Coalition, will discuss the challenges that diverse groups have in the finance industry while encouraging leaders of all types to promote diversity in the workplace.
We will publish a list of books for self-help by and for black individuals and allies. To top off our month, we are hosting a Virtual "Celebrate & Paint" event to honor our people's achievements as a whole and our group for our accomplishments.”
Learn more about CU Direct here.
Engage in conversations about race and power — Relativity
“In celebration of Black History month our community resource group, BREL: Black @ Relativity will be putting together a series of events to celebrate and educate our community on the importance of Black History. We believe that Black History is American History, and in order to grow it’s important to understand where we’ve been while striving for a better future.
Relativity will be hosting an internal session with media executive and NYU professor Stephen Barr, leading us in a conversation about race and power in America. In addition to this there will be a public event titled “Growing Your Career as a Black Professional: Tips and tricks with BRel” taking place February 24th. In this session Black professionals from various fields will speak on how individuals can empower themselves to successfully navigate their professional careers.”
Learn more about Relativity here.
Host a movie discussion — Workiva
“Throughout the month of February, we are providing our employees opportunities to learn about Black history, share their experiences, and engage in meaningful dialogue. With support from our our Ethnic Diversity in Tech Employee Resource Group, we'll host a movie discussion around the current issues faced by the Black community, share artist spotlights along with resources on how to support black artists, promote internal speaker sessions that focus on elevating black voices within Workiva, and highlight charitable giving opportunities to support the black community. We're encouraging employees company-wide to reflect on the past and act for the future.”
Learn more about Workiva here.
Help Black college students prepare for their careers — PwC
“PwC is building on their culture of belonging during Black History Month through events and opportunities to connect, learn, and celebrate Black history, culture, and contributions. Throughout the month, PwCers will have the opportunity to explore the depth and breadth of Black identity across several topics, including the intersection of race and environmental equity, generational wealth-building, and food for the soul. The firm will also highlight opportunities, causes, and organizations that support the Black community, including getting involved with PwC's Access Your Potential commitment helping 25,000 Black and Latinx college students prepare for and begin in-demand careers.”
—PwC Spokesperson
Learn more about PwC here.
Feature professional development organizations — CDW
"During Black History Month, our Black Excellence Unlimited (BeU) Business Resource Group (BRG) will host a variety of events and initiatives with the theme “Celebrate. Honor. Lead.”
Celebrate: BeU will be shining a spotlight on a few Black-owned businesses making an impact in their communities
Honor: In 2021, the Black community collectively grieved the loss of many prominent members of the community who inspired us, entertained us and paved the way for us. BeU will pay tribute to some of those fallen in acknowledgment of their contributions to Black life, success and culture.
Lead: Throughout the month, BeU will feature various organizations that are rooted in professional development, academic advancement, art and culture, and community service across the U.S."
Learn more about CDW here.
Host an internal company panel — PagerDuty
“This year our ERG, Array, will be honoring Black History Month with the theme, “Rooted in the World: Our Heritage, Our Story”.
We will host company-wide events throughout the month, in addition to programming exclusive to the Array community. All employees are invited to learn from professor and curator of Black history, Dr. Jamille Harrell-Sims and participate in a fun trivia activity. Additionally, Array members are invited to an internal employee panel to hear their personal stories.
In alignment with Array’s mission, to cultivate and celebrate a diverse and inclusive global environment at PagerDuty, this programming aims to show the importance and influence of Black history.”
Learn more about PagerDuty here.
Honor the contributions of Black medical practitioners — CHG Healthcare
“This year, CHG Healthcare celebrates Black History Month with an emphasis on health and wellness. The activities and events we have planned honor the many contributions of Black medical practitioners throughout history and highlight the importance of achieving health equity in America. We’ll begin the month by sharing a catalog of educational resources and conversation prompts to encourage meaningful employee discussions. Later, we’re hosting guest speaker, Dr. Evelyn Lewis & Clark, the first African American president of the AAFP, as she shares her background in the United States Navy, her journey of becoming a physician, and her commitment to making a difference in the lives of veterans.”
Learn more about CHG Healthcare here.
Elevate personal stories and experiences — 2U
“This year, 2U's Black Engagement Network (BNet) centered its Black History Month experiences around the theme, "Together, We Move." Through the focus areas of cultural education, cultural celebration, retention, and personal/professional advancement, our programming will elevate stories and experiences of how far we’ve come and how we’re still moving forward together to higher heights. Some of our events include a screening and discussion of the documentary "Segregated by Design," a panel of 2U HBCU grads who are supporting our HBCU partner programs, a panel on intersectionality in the workplace, and our flagship celebratory arts event, Freedom Fest.”
Learn more about 2U here.
Focus on breaking through bias — Waters Corporation
“Waters is proud to honor Black History Month by inviting our employees to participate in educational and interactive virtual events hosted by our Multicultural hub. Our events will focus on breaking through bias through discussion and deeper dives around Black historical events. We’re excited to feature amazing Black individuals who helped to break barriers and pave the way for others.”
Learn more about Waters Corporation here.
Engage in a 7-day step challenge — CoStar Group
“In celebration of Black History Month, CoStar Group’s Black Excellence Network has organized a series of company-wide events aligned with the 2022 theme of Black Health and Wellness.
We will host a webinar on healthy living, led by a naturopathic doctor, and a discussion on financial wellness. In addition to these events, employees will have the opportunity to engage in a 7-day step challenge and other informal events during our “fun Friday” series.”
Learn more about CoStar Group here.
Start a blog series — Webflow
“At Webflow, we celebrate the designers, creators, and entrepreneurs who have shaped our industry year round, not just during Black History Month. So we're celebrating Black History Month by starting a few blog series that will continue throughout the year. These blogs will feature our Black community at Webflow, honor the legacy of Black creatives who have shaped our industry, and celebrate the intersectional identities within the Black community that are often erased and invisible. Our Black Affinity Group (Blackflow) is planning several events to celebrate the Black community at Webflow as well.”
Learn more about Webflow here.
Promote Black financial health — T. Rowe Price
“As an asset manager, T. Rowe Price is focusing on Black financial health and wellness in celebration of Black History Month. Through its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, as well as the work of the T. Rowe Price Foundation, the firm is promoting black financial health and wellness by fostering greater economic access and opportunity.
The firm offers a free financial education program, Money Confident Kids®, to students, parents, and educators that provides tools and strategies for generating financial stability and identifying obstacles that drive financial inequity—including the racial wealth gap.”
Learn more about T. Rowe Price here.
Dance it out with an AfroSoca werkout party — Elastic
“To celebrate Black History Month, Elastic is focusing on the importance of Black Health and Wellness. From a mental health awareness session with Black Men Heal to afro-textured hair care tips, we’re acknowledging a breadth of topics and providing resources the Black community can leverage for wellness and self-care. Elasticians will be able to get their blood pumping with an AfroSoca Werkout Party, highlight their favorite black-owned restaurants and other businesses, participate in Q&A sessions, and broaden their knowledge about historical Black figures and their contributions.”
Learn more about Elastic here.
Award grants to Black-owned businesses — Siemens
“At Siemens, we’ve launched a 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge in celebration of Black History Month. Studies show it takes 21 days to form a habit, so during this time we’ll encourage employees to deepen their understanding of racism and examine ways to promote racial equity. Also, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency Business Centers, Siemens and Siemens Mobility will be awarding grants to nine small Black-owned businesses to advance DEI in entrepreneurship. By listening and learning from each other, we can continue to build a more inclusive organization that reflects the communities we serve.”
Learn more about Siemens here.
Share newsletters about unsung Black heroes — Moody’s
“In observance of Black History Month, Moody’s is hosting several events including a panel discussion titled “Black Representation in Product Innovation” in partnership with our product teams, the Black Product Managers (BPM) Network, and their president and co-founder Brittany Bankston. We will also be sharing newsletters that reflect on the untold stories of unsung Black heroes and achievers, providing zoom backgrounds and screensavers to our employees to celebrate Black History Month, and hosting a Black History Month trivia afternoon.”
Learn more about Moody’s here.
Host a 21-day habit building challenge — SoftwareONE
“In an effort to drive more awareness and education surrounding Black History Month, SoftwareONE North America, along with its cross-functional employee diversity equity and inclusion committee called ‘Mosaic,’ will host a 21-day racial equity and habit building challenge. This program is intended to assist each employee with becoming more engaged, compassionate, and constructive in our continued quest for racial equality by providing educational resources, highlighting influential figures, and promoting employee stories. We’ll wrap this program with a round table discussion on the Black Experience and how best to celebrate critical contributions to equality year-round.”
Learn more about SoftwareONE here.
Explore Health & Wellness in the Black Community — Nike, Inc.
"NIKE, Inc.’s Black Employee Network (BEN) is leading Black History Month celebrations with programming that explores health and wellness in the Black Community. Throughout the month, teammates will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of experiences: from panel discussions with Nike athletes on mental health, specially curated audio-guided runs on the Nike Run Club app, and discussions on climate change with prominent thought leaders. Finally, we’ll conclude with the much celebrated, annual SNKRBALL event – bringing the Nike community together for an evening of Black culture, music and entertainment – featuring appearances from Nike athletes and special musical performances.
Learn more about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Nike: https://jobs.nike.com/diversity-and-inclusion.”
Learn more about Nike here.
Address issues the community faces through discussions — Splunk
“For Black History Month, Splunk’s Black Employees and Mentors Group (BEAMS) – will explore the theme, The Hills We Climb. Our programming includes discussions about “The Black Ceiling”, barriers to Black professional progression, and the attack on voting rights; we’ll feature a “Sistah Circle” addressing issues Black women face and a giving campaign.
Black Americans and our communities have been on a rollercoaster of progress, setback, and everything in between. Our goal this month is to show how the climb up the hills of injustice presents known and unforeseen obstacles and how reaching the peaks represents the actualization of hard-fought progress.”
Learn more about Splunk here.
Host community building events — Okta
“Black history is American history. A rich and deep history interwoven into the fabric of our country, creating a beautiful tapestry that truly encompasses our nation. Okta’s Black Employee Network through its People of Collective Cultures (POCC) ERG celebrates the history of Black achievement with a living collection of information highlighting the historic and ongoing accomplishments of the Black Community. In addition, we host events to build community and provide continuous awareness of the need to support our Black employees with information regarding physical and mental health, mentoring and career development assistance. Black History cannot be contained in one month.”
POCC ERG Leadership:
Pamala Simpson, Engineering Principal Technical Program Manager
Nola Turnage - Manager, Legal Operations - Contracts
Learn more about Okta here.
Amplify Black excellence in technology — Pluralsight
“Following PowerToFly’s 2022 Black History Month theme, our BIPOC ERG, seeColor, is honoring Black History Month by “Amplifying Black Excellence in Technology,” focusing on how we can expand the Voice, Community, Connection, and Growth of the Black community. This will be done by sharing educational resources with our larger Pluralsight team around Black excellence in technology at Pluralsight and beyond. We’ll be holding a panel that highlights how Black team members can grow their careers in technology and how allies can amplify Black excellence in the technology industry. Finally, we’ll be sharing written stories of excellence in the Black community, of both historical and current day figures.”
Learn more about Pluralsight here.
Post a Black history quote of the week — Aurora Solar
“At Aurora, we are celebrating Black History Month with a variety of events & activities created by our Black at Aurora ERG. In addition to our events, we are posting weekly history highlights and a Black History quote of the week in our company-wide announcements channel in Slack. We have also created a Soul Food Cookbook full of family recipes that our team can download.
February 1 - Lunch & Learn: Celebrating Black History
February 8 - Hidden Figures Viewing Party
February 14-18 Soul Food Week
February 24 - Virtual Soul Food Cookout”
Learn more about Aurora Solar here.
Invest in the community, invest in yourself — BlackRock
“Each year, Black History Month serves as a time for us to come together and celebrate the achievements, culture, and community we share as Black Americans. This year, the theme of our Black History Month celebration is “Investing in Community, Investing in Ourselves.” Throughout February, we'll host local and national events across four pillars: social connection, community empowerment, mental health, and financial health.”
Learn more about BlackRock here.
Realize Black history Is Black excellence — Intuitive
“In February, Intuitive will recognize Black History Month with events and activations around the theme: Black History Is Black Excellence. Throughout the month, we’ll celebrate Black leaders and perspectives at Intuitive with a series of employee spotlight articles and communications. BLACK at Intuitive, an Employee Resource Group, will also host a company-wide program highlighting how diverse teams drive business results and enable Intuitive’s mission of improving healthcare outcomes. The program will also feature personal reflections on the importance of Black History Month, showcase the contributions of Black employees, and activate employees to build more inclusion and diversity.”
Learn more about Intuitive here.
Spotlighting Black colleagues— Raytheon Technologies
“At Raytheon Intelligence & Space, we are celebrating Black History Month by spotlighting our 8 BEYA winners both internally and externally, as well as encouraging our employees to share stories of their colleagues who are making a difference in DE&I. In addition, our Black Employee Resource Group is also focused on how Raytheon Black Employees are contributing to and shaping the future of the business. They have a packed calendar of events including recognizing our 6 “Keeper of the Dream” internal award winners selected for how they embody the attributes of his MLK Jr. and keep his dream alive.”
Learn more about Raytheon Technologies here.
How These Companies Encourage Employees to Take Time Off
PTO gives employees a chance to step away from daily work demands and focus on resting and recharging. It also helps combat burnout and boost employee productivity.
Having a hard time taking advantage of your PTO?
Read on to see how our partner companies are encouraging their employees to take vacation.
Uber
"Doing your best work means being your best self. To help, Uber offers a wide range of benefits and perks, including unlimited paid vacation for many roles. Employees are encouraged to use paid time off as they see fit, whether it's to vote or attend a parent-school activity, and only need approval by their direct manager."
Learn more about Uber here.
Okta
Here's a message from Okta's CEO, Todd McKinnon:
"I talked with the company about this in a recent weekly All Hands. I discussed the changes we're all navigating & emphasized that I know how hard everyone's working. I needed to do a better job acknowledging that, showing gratitude, and (the key) reminding people to TAKE TIME OFF. This includes me! I'm taking 3 weeks off this summer to spend time with my family. I asked every employee to email me directly with their summer vacation plans. I've received about 300 emails so far, which tells me a lot of employees are still planning their PTO.
Our vision to enable everyone to safely use any technology is ambitious, long-term, and will take a lot of work to bring to life. We have a tremendous, $80B opportunity but I don't want people to be so fried that they can't finish the race. I always encourage Okta employees to be builders & owners and take responsibility for what they need, but I also recognize that it falls flat if the example set by managers and by me doesn't provide space for balance. We have to get this right to meet our potential.
We've hired a lot of incredibly smart people who work hard and care deeply about Okta. What I'm trying to reinforce to employees is that caring about Okta also means caring for yourself, and taking time off. Amazing work can't happen without rest and recovery."
Learn more about Okta here.
PwC
"The well-being of PwC's people is a top priority! The firm recently launched new "Shared Success" benefits as a way to thank their people for a year of hard work. Employees can now receive $250 each time they take a full week's vacation, up to four times throughout the year. The program has the potential to continue into the future if there is wide adoption. The firm also launched 'Fridays Your Way,' which encourages their people to protect their time on Friday afternoons this summer to focus work without interruption, vacation time, development/upskilling or volunteer work."
Learn more about PwC here.
Automattic
"At Automattic, time off is unlimited. To be sure vacation days get used, we recommend that folks take at least a minimum of 25 days off every year … and encourage them to take more. In addition, we encourage folks to take a three-month Sabbatical every five years."
Learn more about Automattic here.
Relativity
"Relativity has an unlimited time off policy as well as two, week-long office closings throughout the year to ensure employees have time to recharge. To make the most of time off and truly unplug , set yourself and your team up for success before you leave. Ensure you have any ongoing items in an a-sync collaborative space so that work can continue while you are away. Set your out of office on emails, slack and any other messaging platform and establish a point-person for critical activities. Then go and have fun, relax and recharge!"
Beth Clutterbuck, CHRO
Learn more about Relativity here.
Guru
"Here are three big pieces of advice when going on vacation: First, take your work chat program and email off your phone—fully delete them or you'll just want to sign back in. Next, don't put in your OOO that you'll respond to all emails the day you get back; just say that you'll begin responding. Finally, explicitly lay out the only (few and far between) reasons anyone should interrupt your vacation, but be clear that you may not be reachable, and that it should be an absolute last resort. It's OK! Things won't crumble in your absence."
Learn more about Guru here.
uShip
"To get the most out of your PTO, we suggest letting co-workers and managers know the dates you'll be out of office a week or two ahead of time. This ensures they get to you with any needs prior to your being off. Always set up your Out of Office autoreplies and adjust your IM settings to "away" or "vacationing". Lastly, STOP CHECKING YOUR EMAIL AND IMs ON YOUR PHONE! We've cut off access to email in the past for people on maternity/paternity leave, to ensure they stay focused on their leave and family."
Learn more about uShip here.
Hopin
"We have an unlimited vacation policy and an internal calendar that showcases public holidays in all 45+ countries where Hopineers live and work. Johnny, our CEO, speaks frequently about how balance and making the time to rest and recharge is the best way to make sure that we're always bringing our best selves to work. These things combined mean that we are building a culture of respect around PTO that empowers people to unplug and use their time however is most impactful for them. We also have a #Hopinstagram slack channel where people post pics of their holiday activities!"
Learn more about Hopin here.
SoftwareOne
"SoftwareONE promotes the health benefits of taking time off – reduced stress, heart health, better sleep, and increased productivity. Be the best version of yourself!
Here are a few tips and tricks:
- While still in the office, practice moving your work to your backup plan. You will gain confidence in your ability to disconnect if you know that your backup plan works.
- A few weeks before your time off, add a vacation notification to your email signature. "PLEASE NOTE UPCOMING VACATION DAYS: JULY 2 to JULY 7."
- Make time off planning and preparation a part of the ongoing conversation in your 1:1s with your leader and team meetings.
- While you are on vacation, turn off your work email off from your devices. Remember that you have a backup plan and they know how to reach you in an emergency. Seriously unplug and enjoy!
- We post picture of our employee's personal interests including hobbies and vacations on our social media accounts. This encourages employees to share and pursue interests outside of work."
Learn more about SoftwareOne here.
LogMeIn
"Our recommendation is to truly unplug when you are on vacation. Even our CEO takes vacations, so we encourage all of our employees to use their PTO as needed. LogMeIn offers Unlimited PTO (we call it MeTime) to give our employees the flexibility to take time off without worrying about how many hours you've accrued. We respect each other's time off, so if we see someone has an out-of-office message or a "PTO" emoji on Slack, we think twice about pinging them and don't expect them to respond until they are back in the office."
Learn more about LogMeIn here.
BlackRock
"Plan ahead but not to the minute! Know where you're going and where you're staying but leave some time to explore and do things on a whim.
With BlackRock's Flexible Time Off, employees can take as many paid days off per year as they need to relax and recharge. Plus, through the Perks at Work program, employees can find travel inspiration as well as take advantage of discounts on car rentals and hotel rooms – so they can more fully enjoy their time off."
Learn more about BlackRock here.
Raytheon Technologies
"At Raytheon Intelligence & Space, we offer a competitive paid-time off program and encourage our employees to take time off to rest and recharge – which our employees embrace."
"A great tip for making the most of your time off is to communicate to your teams early that you will be completely unreachable and actually be unavailable – turn off the phone and email! Be fully present with your family to unwind and relax in the time you have together."
- Amber Kreceman, principal engineer, Raytheon Intelligence & Space
Learn more about Raytheon Technologies here.
Lockheed Martin
"Time off is crucial to a healthy work-life balance. At Lockheed Martin, our Paid Time Off program includes hours that are awarded at the beginning of each year, in addition to hours you can earn, to spend how you like. Enjoy using your hours for vacation, doing community service, taking care of personal business—pretty much anything you want. Remember, taking time to rest and rejuvenate is essential to better wellbeing. We also offer a variety work schedules, from night shifts to Fridays off to remote capabilities. Your role's business needs, and your leader can help you determine the possibilities."
Learn more about Lockheed Martin here.
MongoDB
"At MongoDB, we support our employees by offering a flexible PTO policy to encourage employees to take as much time as they need to recharge. We offer benefits like Headspace and our discount and perks program to help our employees relax and have peace of mind as they vacation.
We suggest employees plan for PTO as early as possible and identify colleagues as point-person for backup so they can feel comfortable not checking in during their time off. We also recommend planning something fun for the end of your first week to help avoid the post-vacation blues!"
Learn more about MongoDB here.
Clarus Commerce
"Here at Clarus, providing good work life balance and adequate PTO are key pillars of our culture. Taking time to refresh and renew is important. We provide an adequate amount of PTO and we give all new hires all of their PTO upfront.
See our PTO benefits below:
- 15 days of vacation, roll over up to 5 days
- 5 days of sick time
- 2 floating holidays (can be used at any point for any reason)
- Close every Friday at 2pm (Don't need to make up the time)
- Generous paid holiday schedule. Includes that we're closed between Christmas and New Year's."
Learn more about Clarus Commerce here.
Equinix
"At Equinix, our efforts in service to the company and customers have wide-ranging impact. We are encouraged to find balance by taking time to unplug and enjoy doing the things we love outside of work. We have an internal social channel to post, share, and celebrate the vacations and time away we treat ourselves to. This year, Equinix implemented a two day company wide shutdown knowing it's a little bit easier to recharge when your colleagues are also shutting down. We have a collective responsibility to create a culture where actually taking PTO is welcomed and embraced."
Learn more about Equinix here.
Munich RE
"To help our employees make the most of public holidays we provide adjacent additional paid half-days off, company-wide. Many will take this opportunity to dip into their personal PTO allowance to extend what was an extra long-weekend into a full week (or more!) vacation. The longer break definitely encourages our employees to fully unplug from work.
We believe in encouraging employees to utilize their PTO and share best practices on how they find their balance. Different departments have developed creative ways to encourage this too. For example, employees on the US Regional HR team who used 5 consecutive days of PTO and then shared a picture of their time off were entered into a drawing to win a gift card. Here's one of the entry photos!"
Learn more about Munich RE here.
SoundCloud
"At SoundCloud, we value taking time away from work and believe it's essential to mental health and overall wellbeing. We stress the importance of taking opportunities to rest, reset and encourage time off by having our leaders lead by example. With this strategy, we have created a company culture that encourages and normalizes the use of PTO. We have found success in categorizing our PTO into specific areas such as vacation, learning and development, or volunteering. This ensures our employees use their vacation time for themselves, free from any work distractions."
Learn more about SoundCloud here.
Netskope
"At Netskope, we offer unlimited PTO to our employees and encourage them to utilize this time for themselves as needed. We have even launched a Global Wellness Day initiative in which our company observes our newfound holiday a few times a year, so all our employees can enjoy a day off to focus on mental health, spend time with family and friends, or just relax and refresh!"
Learn more about Netskope here.
Veracode
"Veracode offers employees a generous 'take what you need' vacation policy. In each of the last two years, our CEO has provided employees with Summer Recharge Days, two paid days off in recognition of the passion and drive our employees demonstrate every day. We encourage employees to fully take their time off with family and friends doing whatever brings them joy so that they come back to work refreshed and energized."
Learn more about Veracode here.
Spectrum
"Vacation time isn't just getting away from work, it is about refueling and reenergizing. As easy as devices make it to check emails, it's essential to unplug. Use the time to reflect on past experiences, the challenges you've overcome and recent successes – and celebrate them! Focus on your own well-being, spend time with your loved ones and don't let thoughts of work distract you from being present in the moment."
- Gretchen Kelly, Vice President Enterprise Communication & ERP/HR Systems at Spectrum
Learn more about Spectrum here.
Autodesk
"Work life balance is an integral part of our Culture Code which defines how we work. Autodesk offers discretionary time off (DTO) for U.S. salaried employees, and three weeks of vacation for hourly employees. Additionally, employees get the "Week of Rest" from Christmas Eve through New Year's Day as paid holidays. And what better way to truly take time off and disconnect from work than to be eligible for a six-week paid sabbatical every four years of continuous service. We realize there's a strong correlation between stress, mental-health, and burn out. Therefore, we encourage all our employees to take time off to rest and re-charge."
Learn more about Autodesk here.
Unstoppable Domains
Here's their advice for making the most of your time off — and some insight into the ways they help their employees enjoy their R&R:
"How to make the most out of your time off:
- Get familiar with your company's PTO policy
- Plan your time off for the year and request it in advance
- Don't use all of your PTO at once, spread it out throughout the year to avoid burnout.
- Delegate responsibilities, overcommunicate with the team before going on PTO to avoid coming back to a lot of work.
What we offer:
- 15 days of PTO
- 10 paid holidays
- Additional leaves and flexibility based on circumstances
- Expectation of 100% work disconnect during PTO
- Easy and transparent PTO approval process
- Visibility into others' upcoming time off"
Learn more about Unstoppable Domains here.
OfferUp
"Time off is an essential part of self-care. Taking time away from work helps people recharge, catch up with family and friends, prevent burnout and increase productivity.
Having a plan and coverage helps you have as much peace of mind as possible while away. Prepare as much as you can ahead of time and lean on your team for help.
Despite best efforts, you might not finish everything you want before your time off, which is ok. Create your out-of-office coverage plan. Your plan should list critical tasks, determine/assign who on your team can cover and support them, and adding an out-of-office for your email and slack. Partner with everyone listed in your plan to ensure they understand the coverage plan, work, and how they are helping.
Lastly, make sure your peers, team, and business partners have access to and know about your coverage plan. Your plan should provide the current state of the projects/work and the point(s) of contact while you are out of the office. If you're diligent about making preparations before your time off, you can rest assured that essential/critical work is being completed. Enjoy your time away!"
- Andrew Cho, HR Manager
Learn more about OfferUp here.
Moody’s
"At Moody's, we know that it is essential for our employees to be able to take time off and recharge, especially after a particularly difficult time for everyone during the pandemic - managing to both deliver in our jobs and take care of ourselves and family. Our people managers are encouraged to specifically support our employees to ensure they feel comfortable taking time off and we encourage our leaders to role model the same. At Moody's, we foster a supportive and collaborative work environment, and this continues when our colleagues have planned time off to relax, spend with family or friends, or go on vacation and travel where safety permits!"
Learn more about Moody's here.
JW Player
"At JW Player, we want you to be at your best and avoid burnout. So, we offer an open PTO policy to our full-time US Employees! While out on PTO, we encourage you to unplug from work so you can relax and be back online feeling refreshed. The best way for you to do that would be to:
1. Let your manager know of your time off in advance.
2. Prep your teammates for handoffs while you're out.
3. Block your calendar so people know not to contact you.
4. Set up your auto-reply on your email so people know who they can reach out to in your absence."
Learn more about JW Player here.
CSL
"CSL knows the pandemic has added stress to employees' lives, so the global biotech is encouraging wellbeing. This year CSL provided Wellness Days as additional time to recharge. Companywide benefits like Summer Fridays and Winter Holiday Shutdown allow employees to take time off without fear of returning to a mountain of emails. Some sites also offer a Summer Shutdown week. But the most important thing they do is foster a culture that prioritizes taking PTO. All people leaders are asked to role model by taking – and talking about – their PTO, and address factors that prevent team members from taking time off."
Learn more about CSL here.
Karat
"Karat offers flexible time off benefits and 18 weekday holidays, including two longer break periods (Summer Break and Winter Break) so everyone can truly reap the mental and physical benefit of time off. The extensive holiday calendar also means we're off at the same time and encourages everyone to actually unplug.
Tip: Lead by example. Taking time off is difficult when you know others on your team are still working. Giving the team coordinated breaks helps people reduce the anxiety that comes from others picking up the workload."
Learn more about Karat here.
Lattice
"Last year we learned how effective days are to improve morale and combat burnout, so we're proud that we had introduced "Recharge" days--an approach that aligns with our culture and philosophy of putting people first. We've recently introduced additional recharge days to be a company-wide holiday at least once a month for the rest of the year and next year. We've leaned into the magic of when most of the company has the same day off and making sure we take care of our people."
Learn more about Lattice here.
Smartsheet
"One of the biggest keys to making the most of your time off is fully disconnecting from work. This requires having good systems in place and a high level of trust within your team. Strong systems allow teammates to easily step in and support your work while you're away, which in turn helps build trust among colleagues. If you feel supported by your team while you're out of the office, you're more likely to fully unplug and then happily return the favor when a teammate is away, allowing them to do the same."
Learn more about Smartsheet here.
Invesco
"Maintaining a healthy work-life balance has been especially challenging with the impact of the global pandemic. In a recent video to employees, Invesco's President and CEO Marty Flanagan encouraged employees to take their vacation time, emphasizing the importance of rest and self-care.
Taking a vacation, even a "staycation," is proven to help increase work productivity up to 31% while also helping stimulate a more positive frame of mind. That's especially critical given the added stress of COVID-19. Not unplugging from the office to take time off time creates burnout, fatigue, and can impact your health and personal life."
Learn more about Invesco here.
GameChanger
"GameChanger offers teammates unlimited vacation time because we know how important it is to refresh and recharge. To encourage our teammates to take vacation, we make it easy for them to plan with a simple process to request the time off and by providing the team support needed while they're out. Additionally, though we have many paid holidays throughout the year, we empower teammates to use vacation time to recognize or celebrate any holidays outside of our list. GameChanger also provides the opportunity to work remotely, which makes planning your next adventure even easier."
Learn more about GameChanger here.
ServiceNow
"ServiceNow is taking a fun and innovative approach to ensuring employees focus on their health and well-being every week with "Recharge Half-day Fridays". The world pandemic has put a spotlight on employee health and well-being and the need for a better work/life balance. ServiceNow leadership came together to introduce this program as a collective way for every employee worldwide to carve out much-needed time to recharge and refocus themselves and their families.
Running from the first week in June through the first week of September 2021, the program has been wildly popular and offers a great way for employees around the world to share the creative ways they are using their time, including some examples below.
- Taking up sketching and improving tennis game
- Spending every Friday afternoon attending music lessons with daughter
- Sharing sushi every Friday with a friend
- Working on renovations to backyard garden
- Having a swim with new ServiceNow swags!"
