11 Ways of Celebrating International Women's Day At Work

When we talk about workplaces, we often discuss great leaders like Bill Gates or Warren Buffett. But somehow, we forget that there have been and are great women leaders as well. Some of them include Marry Barra, CEO of General Motors, and Whitney Wolfe Herd, founder of Bumble, and the list continues.

They have made a name for themselves through hard work, perseverance, and passion for becoming the best. And to recognize and honor the contributions of all women in the workplace or outside the workplace, International Women's Day is celebrated each year.

You can do the same to show your appreciation for your female employees. And if you're looking for ways to commemorate the occasion, look no further. This article will provide you with the perfect ideas to celebrate the women in your workplace and show how much you value them.

Let's delve in!

When is International Women's Day in 2023?

International Women's Day is celebrated for the dedication and sacrifices of the women's community.

It will be celebrated on the 8th of March, 2023, to support the women's fraternity.

What is International Women's Day?

International Women's Day is a global observance that celebrates women's social, economic, cultural, and political achievements. It is the day when everyone takes the time to recognize and honor the contributions of women in the workplace.

From top executives to world leaders, women at any company play a vital role in the organization's success and growth. It is a day to recommit ourselves to creating a more equitable and inclusive environment for all women in the workplace and the world.

Read more: Top 7 Women's History Month Ideas For Workplace

11 Ways To Celebrate International Women's Day at the Workplace

There are numerous ways to celebrate the day. However, we think these are the best ideas to start the celebration. Let's have a look at the list.

1. Reward and Recognize

You can start your Women's day celebration at work by rewarding and recognizing the female employees for their hard work. Before doing that, ensure that everyone (except the women) knows about the award ceremony. Keep it as a surprise to surprise the women workforce and make them feel special.

In addition, you can also virtually award them with the help of online recognition tools. One such tool is Vantage Circle, an AI-powered employee recognition platform. This tool enables an organization to giveaway redeemable points with flexible award options. It even allows users to choose from a wide range of gift card options and corporate discounts specially curated for employees.

2. Do More for the Female Community

Women's day celebrations in the workplace is about acknowledging the courage, dedication, and effort they put into their daily lives. And it should not be constrained just for the day. It should be a daily practice in the workplace. The ideology is to do more for the female community and empower them. You can do this by-

• Giving voice to the women employees and giving them equal power and opportunities.

• Diminishing any sort of gender-bias and challenging stereotypes.

• Encouraging and fostering diversity in the workplace.

3. Take the Women's Squad for a Nice Lunch

A special lunch for the women's squad in the workforce is another nice touch for Women's day celebrations. Keep a special budget for this day so you can spend it on them without any constraints.

Organize a fancy lunch line-up in a good restaurant and ask the restaurant owners to decorate the place, especially for the day. On top of that, welcome them with flowers and keep things thoughtful.

Read more: 5 Team Lunch Ideas To Boost Employee Engagement

4. Organize a Trip to an Exhibition by a Female Artist

This is a unique way to celebrate Women's Day at work.

Search for an art exhibition by a female artist in your city and book the tickets. Plan a day out for the women employees and let them enjoy the day.

Doing this will enable you to show your support towards the female artist, especially on Women's Day, and allow the female employees to appreciate the effort.

5. Action plan on Creating Policies to Safeguard Women

Another great way to honor women on International Women's Day is to implement an action plan to protect women in the workplace.

As an HR, you need a concrete strategy to move forward with the policies that will help women in the workplace. Everyone should know the policies that will create a safe work environment for women, from the leaders to the employees.

The policies you will implement should cover the following topics-

• Gender discrimination and harassment.

• Provision for menstrual leave.

• Gender-responsive work facilities.

• Giving equal rights and authority to women.

And to ensure everything works out well, create a committee that will check the proceedings of the policies. In addition, install a suggestion box where the women employees can anonymize their concerns. The committee will check daily on the suggestions and act accordingly.

6. Talk About Gender Equality!

Gender equality has been a topic of interest for the past decade. And, with the growing influence of women in the workforce, it has become critical to raise awareness about it.

So, to do that, this Women's day, you can organize a session in the workplace. The focus of this session will be to enlighten the workforce about the pay gap that women employees are facing. As an HR, you need to be transparent about the ground reality and how things have been going on within the organization.

You can focus on the topics around-

• Biased pay structure in the corporate world.

• How the organization is trying to tackle the issue of the gender pay gap.

• The leaders took the appropriate actions to make the workplace gender-neutral.

Your aim should be to educate the employees about gender inequality and the discrepancies in the corporate sector. In the long run, this will enable the organization to develop a workplace that can raise concerns if they see any gender inequality.

7. Advocate Women's Day on Social Media Platforms

Your Women's day celebrations should not be constrained within the workplace.

Use the flexibility of social media platforms and showcase how you celebrate the women in your organization. Create social media posts highlighting the whole day and letting the world know you care about women.

You can also use social media to organize a fundraising event for underprivileged women. This will raise much-needed awareness among followers worldwide and help drive the cause of assisting the female fraternity.

This will help create awareness about Women's day and increase your branding. Moreover, it will also portray gender-neutral work culture, which can be a huge plus point in attracting potential candidates.

8. Donate to Charity

Donating to a charity that helps underprivileged women is another great idea to celebrate women's day.

Do in-depth research on which NGO you want to donate to and how they help the women's community. Some of the criteria to choose the right NGO include-

• Charities that work on empowering girls in developing countries through education and economic support.

• NGOs that provide practical and emotional support to women affected by war and conflict.

• Charities that work to advance sexual and reproductive rights and health for women and girls worldwide.

Ask your employees to donate any amount of money towards the charity that can be used in an optimal manner. In addition, the organization can add a good chunk of money to that, which will significantly help the charities.

A little help from your side can do wonders for the women's fraternity struggling worldwide.

9. Removing the Hiring Bias

Regardless of how progressive the corporate sector has become, there are still instances where hiring bias exists. In fact, male applicants have a 40% higher chance of being called in for an interview than female applicants.

Despite experience and skills, women workers still face this issue, which must be addressed. And it will be a perfect opportunity to remove such practices from the workplace this International Women's Day.

As an HR, implement a policy that will remove any bias during the hiring process and keep things transparent. Moreover, you can work on certain pointers that include-

• Structured interview questions which are gender-neutral.

• Exclusion of any personal information from resumes.

• Have a diverse hiring panel.

• Use blind resume review.

• Implement objective evaluation criteria.

• Provide diversity and bias training for all interviewers.

10. Decorate the Workplace Supporting International Women's Day

Decorating your workplace in honor of International Women's Day is a great way to celebrate the day. It is a way to show appreciation towards the women's community and their dedication to the workplace.

Some ideas to decorate your workplace include-

• Display posters and banners around the office with motivational quotes and messages about gender equality and women's empowerment.

• Make a display of photos and biographies of famous women throughout history and current female leaders in your community.

• Decorate your office in the International Women's Day colors of purple, green, and white.

• Encourage employees to wear purple, green, or white to work on International Women's Day to show their support.

Remember to be inclusive, respectful, and sensitive when decorating the workplace and during any event or workshop, you plan. Also, make sure that the decoration comes from a women-owned business. This will ensure that you empower and support small businesses that women run.

11. Monthly Book Club by Women Authors

Another great idea for you to celebrate International Women's Day is to have an in-house book club by women authors.

Have a specific and special bay of books in the workplace where the most influential books of woman authors are kept. This will give the entire workplace a chance to go through the women authors and know them through the books.

You can choose from a wide variety of books that are available in the market. For a quick headstart, click here to check out the list of powerful books written by women authors.

Summing It Up!

It is crucial to make the Women’s Day celebration memorable for the women employees. This will create a gender-equal workplace and improve the overall work culture. On top of that the women will work in a culture that respects them and values their efforts.

Mrinmoy Rabha is a content writer and digital marketer at Vantage Circle. He is an avid follower of football and passionate about singing. For any related queries, contact editor@vantagecircle.com