International Women’s Day: Tips to Celebrate with Success

Despite this holiday being around for over 100 years and recognized by the United Nations since 1977, many people still ask: When Is International Women’s Day? This important holiday falls on March 8th and serves as a reminder to champion equality and women’s rights. While you should certainly celebrate the contributions of the women in your office year-round, every company can benefit from ensuring they recognize and honor Women’s Day.

How your team celebrates International Women’s Day can speak volumes about the health and diversity of your team. A unified company effort to celebrate the holiday can earn your brand some much-needed credibility with customers, investors, and future partners. Most importantly, if done right, this holiday can help improve your employees’ morale and your teams’ health. If you want to learn more about the do’s and don’ts of celebrating International Women’s Day, keep reading.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Celebrating International Women’s Day

Celebrating this holiday in the office can be tricky; after all it is a day that reminds everyone of the inequality and injustice still left for women worldwide. Many offices find the idea of celebrating Women’s Day daunting because of the understandable feelings the holiday brings up for many. If you haven’t celebrated Women’s Day with your team before, the first thing you should know is what not to do. Below are the three biggest mistakes an office makes when celebrating March 8th and how to fix them.

Don’t Ignore It

In 2023, there’s no more hiding behind the excuse that your office wasn’t aware of International Women’s Day. So not celebrating or even mentioning the holiday can leave the women in your office feeling undervalued. Acting as though March 8th is just any other day leaves your company missing out on an opportunity to help your employees and customers feel more valued. Worse, it can give the impression that your company is out of touch with the current issues facing women.

Celebrate It!

It doesn’t have to be big, but make sure your company acknowledges March 8th in some way. For instance, giving the women in your company the day off is an easy yet positive way to show your appreciation. A party can be another way to show your appreciation while also boosting team morale! Bonus points for sourcing the goodies at your party from women-owned and run businesses.

By celebrating International Women’s Day, you can give the women in your team a dedicated time and space to discuss how things could improve for them. By doing so, you show that you value their voice, contributions, and the unique struggles women everywhere face.

Don’t Sugar Coat

It can be tempting to make Women’s Day all rainbows and sunshine. Surely the fantastic women in your office have left you with more than a few wonderful things to say. However, if you only speak about the positives in your team, the celebration can feel disingenuous. Instead, use the day to speak about the areas in your company that need improvement and how you plan to get there. Be transparent about the changes you’ve already made and the lessons you and your team learned along the way.

Give Back

You can take this a step further and use March 8th as a day for your company to do outreach. There are dozens of ways for your team to support the women in your community. You can start by using a woman-owned restaurant to cater your office lunch for the day. Or, go above and beyond and have your team volunteer at a women’s shelter in your area. Don’t be shy to ask the women in your office for ideas of how they’d like to give back to your community.

Avoid Lack-Luster Gifts

When it comes to sending Women’s Day gifts, you don’t want to send something that makes it obvious you weren’t really thinking about them. Worse, you don’t want to send them another company mug or company t-shirt. The gift you send reflects your company and how much you value your team members. It can be tempting to send something quick and easy or the same thing to everyone, but a little extra time and effort can wow the women in your office.

Give Quality Gifts

The best Women’s Day gifts are the ones that show you’ve taken the time to listen. Smart offices empower their HR team to take notes on what their office members would genuinely enjoy as a gift. When in doubt, or lacking HR resources, sending an e-gift card is a safe way to let your VIPs choose how they want to be spoiled.

While flowers are an excellent choice for many women on March 8th, they shouldn’t be the only gift you think of. For instance, gifts that help your female VIPs unwind make a much more significant and longer-lasting impression. Spa gifts, sweets, and even wine or liquor are all excellent gifts for showing your appreciation.

Celebrating International Women’s Day Success

When you celebrate March 8th, you’re doing more than celebrating women. You’re showing them how much they matter. Make sure you open a dialogue this year about how they want to celebrate in the future. Asking them not only how they enjoyed your party, or gifts, but what they might enjoy more in the future shows you are investing in them long term.

You’ve learned more about how to celebrate International Women’s Day; now what?

• – Send Women’s Day gifts to your VIPs.
• – Learn about 3 Great Women In History.
• – Subscribe to our blog to get more corporate gifting tips.