Pride Month work activities to inspire your remote team
Pride Month is a month-long celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community, and it’s a time for people to come together to celebrate their identities. It was first celebrated in 1994 to commemorate the Stonewall Riots in 1969, and since then, it has become a global event. During Pride Month, people participate in various activities to honor the LGBTQ+ community, and this is not only limited to personal celebrations but also extends to the workplace.
In recent years, many companies have recognized the importance of celebrating Pride Month in the workplace. They have realized that creating an inclusive environment for employees who identify as LGBTQ+ is crucial, and it helps in creating an accepting and diverse workplace. By doing so, they not only promote a positive image but also showcase their support for equality, diversity, and inclusion. There are various Pride Month work activities that companies can participate in to show support for the LGBTQ+ community.
What are some Pride Month work activities?
During Pride Month, teams can take part in many different activities as part of their contributions to honoring the LGBTQIA+ community. Some of these activities include:
Sponsoring a local event or helping raise funds for an LGBTQ+ organization
Writing an article about how your company is involved in the celebration of Pride Month
Creating a colorful and unique office space by decorating it with rainbow flags, balloons, and more!
Hosting a Pride party with food and drinks
Purchasing Pride merchandise for the office
Offering all employees paid time off to attend Pride events
Providing LGBTQ-inclusive training for all employees
Creating an LGBTQ+ resource center in your office space
Read our comprehensive guide to activities to commemorate your Pride Month celebration: 5 ways to celebrate Pride Month at work: building inclusive workplaces.
Sponsoring a local event or helping raise funds for an LGBTQ+ organization
One way to support Pride Month and the LGBTQ+ community is by sponsoring a local event or helping raise funds for an LGBTQ+ organization. This can be a great opportunity to show your company's support and dedication to the cause. There are several ways you can go about this - research local events that align with your company's values and make a donation or sponsor the event. You can also organize your own fundraising campaign within your company and donate the proceeds to an LGBTQ+ organization of your choice. This can involve selling merchandise, organizing a charity walk or run, or hosting a bake sale or silent auction.
Writing an article about how your company is involved in the celebration of Pride Month
Another way to show your support for Pride Month is by writing an article about how your company is involved in the celebration. This can help raise awareness and educate others about the importance of the LGBTQ+ community and their rights. You can share this article on your company's blog or social media platforms. This can also be a great opportunity to highlight the LGBTQ+ employees in your company and their experiences.
Hosting a Pride-themed trivia event
Hosting a Pride-themed trivia event can be a fun and engaging way to celebrate Pride Month with your employees. You can organize a virtual event where employees can participate from home or host an in-person event at the office. You can create different categories that focus on LGBTQ+ history, pop culture, or current events. This is a great opportunity for employees to learn more about the LGBTQ+ community and their contributions to society.
Bar None Games is an LGBTQ-owned small business that offers two unique Pride Month trivia events. Check them out here.
Creating a colorful and unique office space by decorating it with rainbow flags, balloons, and more!
Get in the Pride Month spirit by creating a colorful and unique office space. This can involve decorating the office with rainbow flags, balloons, and other LGBTQ+ symbols. This can help create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all employees. You can also encourage employees to decorate their desks with rainbow colors or other symbols of LGBTQ+ pride, which can help promote a sense of community and support within the workplace.
Hosting a Pride party with food and drinks
Hosting a Pride party with food and drinks is a great way to celebrate Pride Month with your employees (who doesn’t love free food and drinks?!). This can be an opportunity to bring everyone together and celebrate diversity and inclusivity. You can decorate the office with rainbow colors and have a variety of food and drinks that reflect the LGBTQ+ community. This can also be a great opportunity to encourage employees to share their own experiences and perspectives.
Purchasing Pride merchandise for the office
Another way to support Pride Month is by purchasing Pride merchandise for the office. This can include rainbow flags, pins, stickers, and other LGBTQ+ symbols. You can also encourage employees to wear pride merchandise or decorate their desks with pride-themed items.
Offering all employees paid time off to attend Pride events
Offering all employees paid time off to attend Pride events is another way to show your support for the LGBTQ+ community. This can help promote inclusivity and support for all employees, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. You can encourage employees to attend local Pride events or parades and provide resources for them to learn more about the LGBTQ+ community.
Providing LGBTQ-inclusive training for all employees
It's essential to ensure that your employees are well-informed and educated about LGBTQ+ issues. Providing LGBTQ-inclusive training for all employees can help create a more inclusive and supportive workplace. This can involve providing training on LGBTQ+ terminology, best practices for inclusive language, and strategies for creating a more welcoming and supportive workplace. This can also be an opportunity to educate employees on the challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community and how they can be allies.
Creating an LGBTQ+ resource center in your office space
Creating an LGBTQ+ resource center in your office space can be an excellent way to provide your employees with information and resources about the LGBTQ+ community. This resource center can include books, articles, and other resources that educate employees about LGBTQ+ issues. You can also host events and discussions in this space to promote education and understanding.
Inspire your remote team to participate in Pride Month work activities
Once you’ve decided on the type of activities your company can undertake to commemorate this important month, it’s time to let your remote team in on what’s planned and how they can contribute. Here’s what you should do to get everyone on board.
Educate your employees on the importance of the activities and your goals as a company
The first step in motivating your employees to get involved in Pride Month celebrations is by educating them on its importance. Share with them the history of the Stonewall riots and why it’s important to observe this month every year. To do this, you can have a company-wide seminar, create a series of videos that are shown in between meetings, or write a series of short content that is shareable on Slack and your social media channels. The goal here is to educate your team and motivate employees to take part in your Pride Month celebrations.
Inform the team that each activity will be collaborative
Many employees may not like the idea of sitting on Zoom listening to a speaker for one hour or attending a virtual exhibition and having nothing to do. As a company, you need to assure your team that they will get a chance to participate in every activity that you do to commemorate Pride Month. There are many ways to enable a participatory celebration, including hosting a Pride Month trivia contest, creating a challenge where everyone wears something rainbow or has their desks decorated in rainbow colors in support of the LGBTQ+ community, or virtual events where everyone is able to ask questions and take part in a meaningful discussion. These activities make your Pride Month celebrations engaging, and motivate every team member to take part - allowing your team to form relationships in an important way.
Include a variety of activities
When you work together as a team, everyone brings their unique point of view. Pride Month is all about celebrating what makes us different and cherishing the things that bring us together. It’s important to ensure that your Pride Month work activities have different options so that your employees can find one that they are excited to attend. The activities that can be done during Pride Month can include - but are not limited to - attending marches, rallies, parades, and festivals, celebrating with co-workers, wearing a rainbow flag or other symbols of LGBTQ+ pride, giving gifts to loved ones, raising awareness about LGBTQ+ issues in the workplace, and donating to organizations that support the LGBTQ+ community.