10 Ways to Celebrate AANHPI Heritage Month at Work [2024 Update]
Check out these 10 ways to recognize Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month in the workplace, inspired by Elevate, ADP's AANHPI business resource group (BRG).
Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month involves learning about, honoring and recognizing AANHPI communities, who bring unique cultures and experiences to the workplace.
"As we celebrate AANHPI Heritage Month, we are reminded of the rich tapestry of cultures, traditions and contributions that our AANHPI colleagues bring to the workplace," says Dave Kwon, corporate vice president, chief legal officer, ADP. Kwon is also the executive sponsor of Elevate, ADP's AANHPI BRG. "This month is not just about recognition but about fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation for the diversity that strengthens our organizations. By engaging in activities that celebrate AANHPI heritage, we honor these vibrant communities and reinforce our commitments to inclusion, diversity, equity, and belonging (IDEB). Let's embrace this opportunity to learn from each other and build a more inclusive workplace where everyone feels empowered."
How can you celebrate AANHPI Heritage Month in your workplace? Create a theme that makes sense for you and your workforce. For example, ADP's 2024 theme is "Advancing leaders through innovation." What will yours be?
Ensure your celebration is respectful, inclusive and guided by accuracy and appropriate context. Focus on education, positivity and fun, and include as many AANHPI communities as possible. Don't pressure people to participate or overwhelm them with tasks and planning. If your people want to participate, that's great, but don't force it.
To help inform your agenda, here are 10 ways to celebrate AANHPI Heritage Month at work:
1. Exercise
Stimulate your mind and body during AANHPI Heritage Month with yoga, tai chi or other forms of exercise. These activities are an energetic way to kick off the month, and they offer a dual benefit. Exercise is a healthy practice, and employees can learn something about AANHPI communities while participating.
During a previous AANHPI Heritage Month, Elevate offered yoga and meditation classes featuring ADP customer service analyst and yoga instructor Ashutosh Survase. "Yoga is a discipline that opens the door to inner freedom," Survase said. "It can be a welcome addition to any celebration." Norfolk, Virginia associates also ran and walked to a nearby Taiwanese pagoda weekly in May. Could you offer similar exercise-focused activities?
Hire qualified instructors, establish dates that work for you and your people and find ways to accommodate remote, hybrid and shift workers. Always be mindful of how you communicate these forms of exercise. Consult your AANHPI workplace community about their thoughts and ideas, too. Discuss exercise safety, take proper precautions, keep leadership abreast of your efforts and, most importantly, have fun.
2. Host a panel featuring AANHPI leaders
Convening your AANHPI workforce to discuss related heritage, history, traditions, customs and current events can help AANHPI communities and their allies feel seen, heard and valued. It can also educate other employees about informed, meaningful ways to show support. Example discussion topics include AANHPI historical events, cuisine, music or art; embracing one's AANHPI heritage; AANHPI inclusion and accomplishments; and innovations shaped by past and present AANHPI workers. Make these discussions collaborative and engaging by carving out time for questions and seeking input from your AANHPI workplace community to ensure the conversation is well-informed and representative. Include your remote or hybrid workforce by recording the meetings and distributing the recordings.
3. Dive into professional development with AANHPI leaders
Having AANHPI leaders discuss their career journeys and provide related considerations can be helpful for employees interested in professional development. For example, during AANHPI Heritage Month 2024, Elevate will offer a session about knowing whether one needs a mentor, sponsor or advocate at work. What will you offer?
4. Play games involving AANHPI heritage
If you want to boost the engagement of your celebration, AANHPI trivia is an excellent place to start. Research related facts and figures. Ensure they're accurate and appropriately contextualized. Develop questions and answers from the data, and use an online trivia service, like Kahoot!, to make the execution seamless. Employees can answer questions and compete for the highest score using their computers, phones and tablets. It can be played in the office or at home, making it great for remote, hybrid and on-site workers. Alternatively, combine trivia with bingo for a fresh take. Create bingo cards listing the answers to predetermined trivia questions. Have a bingo caller announce the questions and ask players to search for the correct answers until a few players win. Make it a celebration! Play music, offer prizes and enjoy learning about AANHPI communities.
5. Incorporate AANHPI food and art
Work with your AANHPI workplace community to prepare culturally inspired cuisines. You can also purchase food from nearby AANHPI-owned restaurants or offer an AANHPI-inspired menu at your facility or facilities. For example, during AANHPI Heritage Month 2024, Elevate will offer an AANHPI-inspired menu to associates dining in ADP cafeterias. Examples of menu items include spring rolls, egg tarts, traditional Indian sweets, mochinuts, or rice donuts, chicken tikka masala, pita bread and curried vegetables.
An arts-and-crafts approach may also work. For example, during a previous AANHPI Heritage Month, ADP associates in Norfolk, Virginia, created Ikebana flowers. Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement that involves creating harmonious compositions using natural materials. In the past, ADP associates have also been treated to a session with graphic designer Carlo Vergara about penetrating a global industry as an Asian artist, as well as to a session with playwright Layeta Bucoy about representing and advocating for Asian heritage. Additionally, during AANHPI Heritage Month 2024, Elevate will offer Henna tattoos to associates, gathering and sharing photos from multiple locations to celebrate. Are these ideas sparking any creativity for your celebration?
6. Support donations to AANHPI organizations
Donating to AANHPI-focused organizations is one of the most tangible ways allies can support AANHPI communities and recognize issues affecting these communities, such as hate incidents and targeted violence against women. To drive support, consider hosting a charitable giving campaign that encourages donating to organizations addressing issues that matter most to your AANHPI workplace community. Use your organization's internal channels to boost the campaign's visibility, and consider asking leadership to contribute donation matches to help maximize participation.
7. Host an AANHPI small-business bizarre
Support AANHPI businesses in your community by inviting them to a small-business bizarre. Businesses can showcase their products and services while you and your workforce shop. ADP is hosting a similar event in the Philippines for AANHPI Heritage Month 2024, gathering local small-business owners to showcase their products and services to associates. This event can be an excellent networking opportunity, helping you and your workforce get to know your local AANHPI community.
8. Form or join an AANHPI ERG
Forming an employee resource group, or ERG, could be the formal kickoff to your AANHPI Heritage Month celebration. ERGs are employee-led groups uniting workers under shared experiences, goals and events. An AANHPI-focused ERG can give your AANHPI employees and allies a voice long after AANHPI Heritage Month ends. For example, ADP has a BRG, which is like an ERG, called Elevate. Comprising AANHPI leaders and open to all associates, Elevate hosts AANHPI-focused activities during the month of May and beyond. It empowers associates to realize their full career potential by providing networking opportunities, cultural awareness events, leadership development and community outreach initiatives. What do you think? Could you start or join a similar group?
9. Share or reshare photos from Lunar New Year
Did anyone at your organization celebrate Lunar New Year on Feb. 10? If there are photos, use them to recognize AANHPI Heritage Month. Lunar New Year is celebrated in parts of Asia and in Asian communities worldwide, marking the start of the year using the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar. Look back on the experience by sharing or resharing photos across internal and external channels. Save them in a scrapbook for later viewing. At ADP, Lunar New Year 2024 was rung in with associates from multiple locations sharing photos of themselves wearing red, the holiday's flagship color.
If you didn't celebrate Lunar New Year in 2024, that's okay. You can always celebrate it on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. You also don't have to restrict this idea to Lunar New Year. You can gather materials from any past AANHPI-related event and repackage them to celebrate this year and every year.
10. Ask AANHPI employees to share their stories
Perhaps nothing is more critical during AANHPI Heritage Month than listening to your AANHPI workplace community. Consider asking them to share their experiences across internal channels to drive education and relationship-building opportunities. Be kind and respectful if they decline. After securing the appropriate permissions, you can even share the stories on your business's social media to highlight your AANHPI workplace community. Don't let their stories get lost in feeds. Consider saving them in a scrapbook that employees can view year-round.
Recognizing AANHPI Heritage Month at work
No matter how you decide to recognize AANHPI Heritage Month, do it authentically, sincerely and respectfully. AANHPI communities bring unique experiences and insights to the workplace. Regardless of the time of year, AANHPI workers and their allies deserve an inclusive space to celebrate their heritage and discuss topics important to them.
For more on inclusive practices that can help your organization do and be its best, visit ADP's DE&I Resource Center.
Elevate inspired and contributed to this article. Open to all ADP associates, Elevate is designed to empower associates to realize their full career potential by providing them with networking opportunities, cultural awareness events, leadership development and community outreach initiatives.
