It’s safe to say that Diwali is one of the premier festivals in Hindu culture, given that an estimated 1 billion people celebrate or commemorate the Diwali season every year – both in India and abroad. But Diwali celebrations aren’t just limited to public festivals nor to family affairs. In fact, Diwali can be celebrated virtually anywhere, from our kids’ schools and even to our own office spaces.
If you’re looking to introduce some fun and festive Diwali celebrations to your own workplace, then you’ll find plenty to love in today’s guide. Stick with us as we unearth how you can celebrate Diwali with your coworkers and ultimately strengthen office morale alongside injecting a little dose of colour and culture to your office space.
No work celebration is complete without putting up colourful displays to brighten moods and create a visually appealing ambiance. This means doing up your cubicle walls, hanging posters, and maybe even creating Diwali banners with coloured streamers to go along with any electric tea lights that you’ve set up (you know, to really make it the festival of lights!).
Alongside doing up your office space, you should also try decorating your devices! For example, you can create a Diwali wallpaper for your work computer, and then share that wallpaper with your coworkers so that all your workstations are decorated for the festivities. You can design these desktop wallpapers super easily by using the preset Diwali templates available on Adobe Express.
And once your devices are done up, move on to Rangoli. This Indian art tradition uses rice flour, flower petals, and coloured powders to produce stunning patterns and designs atop the floorspace or ground. Often used at weddings or other special occasions, the designs vary in complexity depending on the skills of those presenting the works.
You might see simple geometric patterns plus more intricate motifs inspired by geographic themes and cultural and religious symbols. Rangoli is believed to bring good luck, positive energy, and prosperity to homes or businesses where it is presented. It’s an artistic expression practice holding symbolic significance in Indian culture, and including it in your workspace will surely brighten everyone’s day and hopefully bring good fortune.
Also, consider using decorative lighting in traditional Diwali red, gold, and orange hues to add elegance and sparkle. If regulations allow, you might use classic oil lamps (Diyas) or custom candles. Please be safe with their placement and ensure the flames are extinguished at the end of your workday. Once again, a safer alternative would be LED strips, fairy lights, or electric tea lights which you can strategically place atop cube dividers or entryway doors, window frames, cafeterias, or lobbies.
Arrange a Cultural Food Exchange
An anticipated Diwali tradition is sharing various edible gifts among coworkers, friends, and family. For a unique workplace experience, organise a potluck lunch where employees can contribute homemade or store-purchased dishes inspired by the different regions of India.
Set up a table where colleagues may exchange sweets and snacks to allow everyone to sample a bit of everything. The snack station might best be arranged within the cafeteria or breakroom area, any central location with high foot traffic.
Traditional Diwali snacks include samosas, pakoras, chivda, and murukku. Increase everyone’s knowledge and appreciation of these dishes by including small recipe description cards for each snack.
And what do you do for fun once you’ve all enjoyed a good meal? Well you can inject some more fun into the day by introducing some friendly workplace competition with Diwali-themed games. Use a trivia quiz about the festival’s traditions and history. Set up an office-wide Tambola game or perhaps a treasure hunt with themed clues hidden around the building.
Traditional Attire Day
Add to the colourful atmosphere of Diwali by designating a day where employees may dress in traditional Indian-style clothing. Or perhaps it could be a series where each day focuses on a different clothing choice.
The saree is worn for religious ceremonies, festivals, weddings, and other formal events. Kurtas are versatile garments worn by men and women and are suitable for many occasions, even everyday casual gatherings. These adornments come in many fabrics, including silks, cotton, synthetic blends, and linen.
Designating a saree and kurta day is a beautiful way to recognise India’s Diwali tradition and cultural heritage within your workplace.
Giving Back
Recognising those in need is a large part of what Diwali stands for. Your organisation has a few options where it can encourage the giving spirit and establish a sense of goodwill amongst employees while drawing the favourable attention of the public to your brand.
In a charity drive, your workplace would collect non-perishable foods, clothing, or donations to support people in need within vulnerable communities. Also, you might partner with local nonprofit entities to arrange volunteer hands-on groups of your employees where they serve shelter meals, help with neighbourhood cleanups, or organise donation drives.
Improve on the donating initiatives by offering company-sponsored match programs where each employee’s donation to selected charities is matched by management or ownership.
Employee Recognition
As a gesture of appreciation for their hard work and sacrificed time away from families, several initiatives allow organisations to support their employees during Diwali. One-time bonus awards provide added financial support to the most dedicated colleagues.
Employee-of-the-month programs showcase the metric-measured achievements within each department using framed certificates or plaques and mentions by management during company-wide meetings. For added meaning, these programs might include a bonus check and certificates for those employees whose contributions have directly contributed to increased profits.
Senior management-sponsored Diwali lunch or dinner catering onsite or at a restaurant improves morale. It encourages an increasingly motivated and engaged staff, and also actually helps you improve on your professional leadership skills. Simply put, the power of employee recognition really knows no bounds, and there’s no better opportunity to practice recognition than during your office’s holiday celebrations.
Diwali Workplace Positivity
Embracing the commitment to good over evil and knowledge over ignorance are the hallmarks of any pleasant workplace. It’s easy to see how bringing the core tenets of Diwali into your organisation will create an enjoyable atmosphere for staff members of any background. Use these tips to easily bring peace, prosperity, and enlightenment to your employees and their families this festival season.
