Employee Engagement Holidays in 2026

Employee engagement and recognition are year-round priorities for HR teams — but why not set aside a few extra special days to share your appreciation?

Scheduling them into a calendar of observances and employee engagement holidays is a low-cost way of creating a joyful environment that kindles inclusion and a sense of belonging. 

If you’re looking for team building or event ideas, the employee engagement holidays below may inspire you. 

Download Lattice’s 2026 Employee Engagement Calendar now!

What is an employee engagement calendar?

An employee engagement calendar is your company's roadmap for making work more enjoyable. It's a tool that helps companies schedule fun and meaningful celebrations year-round to boost happiness and engagement. It can be a simple list of dates or a detailed plan outlining engagement activities and event programs.

In addition to lighthearted national holidays (e.g., “Ugly Sweater Day”), HR teams might also want to include holiday parties and other annual company events and retreats.

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Employee Engagement Holidays in 2026

January

1. National Trivia Day (January 4, 2026)

If you’re thinking of ways to keep spirits high after New Year’s Day, a little friendly competition might do the trick. Organize a virtual trivia game to bring your team together. Here are a few trivia game ideas to get the ball rolling. 

2. Bagel Day (January 15, 2026)

Kick off the week with a company-sponsored breakfast. Give your remote employees a breakfast voucher or stipend for spending at a local deli or bagel spot.

3. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Day (January 19, 2026) 

Although a federal holiday, MLK Day is often considered a ‘day on, not a day off.’ As a day of service, communities across the country engage in marches, parades, and volunteer efforts to commemorate the life of this towering figure in civil rights history. Encourage your employees to join them, or sponsor a company event yourself.

February

It’s Black History Month in the US. Work with Black Employee Resource Groups to ideate initiatives. Be sure to dedicate a budget for speakers, books, or other activities they suggest.

4. Lunar New Year (February 17, 2026)

Not all cultures start the year off with the Gregorian calendar. Many East Asian countries celebrate according to a lunisolar calendar. Traditions include creating a Tray of Togetherness, a platter of bite-sized delectables symbolizing good fortune. Order some to hand out to your team, or organize a potluck lunch. 

5. Valentine’s Day (February 14, 2026)

If you subscribe to Lattice’s newsletter, you already know We ♡ Humans. Because you feel the same way about your employees, surprise them with a sweet treat for Valentine’s Day. Include a heartfelt thank-you note to make the gesture even more meaningful. Don’t forget to send something to remote colleagues as well! 

6. World Day of Social Justice (February 20, 2026)

Your employees are likely to be passionate about social justice issues — especially millennials and Gen Z. Use this day to acknowledge the diversity and importance of those issues. Consider offering paid time off (PTO) to participate in advocacy campaigns or volunteer opportunities that support social justice initiatives.

7. Ramadan Begins (February 17, 2026)

In Islam, Ramadan is a holy month marked by fasting, prayer, and reflection. Beginning in the evening on February 17, it continues until March 19. Support your Muslim employees by providing flexible work arrangements, creating a space where they can pray privately, and organizing iftar gatherings where employees can break their fast together. 

8. Mardi Gras Fat Tuesday (February 17, 2026)

Mardi on! Organize a Mardi Gras-themed potluck lunch where employees can bring dishes inspired by New Orleans cuisine, like gumbo, jambalaya, or beignets. Don’t forget King Cake for dessert.

March

It’s Women’s History Month. Honor the women in your company with employee profiles, book clubs, or other activities suggested by your women’s Employee Resource Group.

9. World Book Day (March 5, 2026) 

Looking for a creative way to bring people together that isn’t a happy hour? Organizing a book club is a great way to nurture camaraderie, cross-departmental communication, and a little healthy debate. Consider sponsoring book purchases to encourage participation.

10. National Employee Appreciation Day (March 6, 2026) 

HR practitioners know employee recognition matters year-round. Still, you can go above and beyond to thank them for their hard work by giving employees company swag, a sponsored lunch, or even a surprise long weekend. Even better, employees can appreciate each other through thoughtful notes, too.

11. International Women's Day (March 8, 2026)

You can't prioritize DEIB without recognizing the experiences and achievements of women. Highlight the impact that girls and women worldwide have as workers, caregivers, innovators, community organizers, and teammates in the workplace.

12. St. Patrick’s Day (March 17, 2026)

Spread holiday cheer by decorating the office in green, sharing festive Zoom backgrounds, or hosting a traditional Irish cooking class featuring staples like shepherd’s pie, corned beef, cabbage, and soda bread. ‍

April

April is Earth Month, National Volunteer Month, and Arab-American Heritage Month. “Lunch-and-learns” featuring Arabic food and time off for climate-focused volunteering are great ways to bring people together.

13. Earth Day (April 22, 2026)

Help your company do its part by organizing a volunteering day to clean up a local park, plant some trees, or stitch and decorate reusable grocery bags. Encourage employees to share photos from the event on social media or a company Slack channel.

14. Administrative Professionals Day (April 22, 2026)

Our workplaces wouldn't be what they are without the administrative professionals keeping everything running smoothly. Take time to recognize their outstanding contributions using your team’s praise tool or by organizing a virtual event.

May

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and Jewish Heritage Month (US). Focus on psychological safety and belonging, by having open conversations around mental health, and remind employees of the benefits they can receive.

15. Cinco de Mayo (May 5, 2026)

This holiday commemorates the Mexican Army's victory at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Celebrate Mexican heritage with a company-sponsored panel and catered lunch or dinner. Traditional staples like mole poblano and chalupas are closely associated with the Mexican state of Puebla and the holiday.

16. International Human Resources Day (May 20, 2025)

For a team so invested in everyone else's engagement, HR deserves its own holiday, too. International Human Resources Day is a prime opportunity for a team lunch, field day, or other fun team-building activity. Make sure to include your remote colleagues, too.

June 

LGBTQ+ Pride Month and World Pride Day on June 28th call for festive celebrations. 

17. Juneteenth (June 19, 2026)

Juneteenth honors the day enslaved people in Texas learned the Civil War was over, and they were now free. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, a record number of companies observed the day for the first time in 2020 to allow employees to reflect. Work with or start a Black Employees’ Resource Group to learn how they’d like to honor the day.  

18. Summer Solstice (June 21, 2026)

Spending time outdoors comes with heaps of physical and mental health benefits, including stress relief. Kick off the summer by organizing an off-site picnic for employees at a nearby park. If your team works remotely, you can also host a virtual lunch over Zoom. If you are a global organization, note that in some time zones, the precise time of the solstice (when the upper half of the earth is tilted toward the sun) can fall on June 21 or 22.

19. World Pride Month (All Month)

Pride Month is perhaps the biggest commemorative event for the global LGBTQIA+ community. It’s an opportunity to honor and celebrate their identities and the strides they’ve made over the course of history. Join in by organizing educational seminars or fireside chats where queer individuals can share their lived experiences with their colleagues and managers. Partner with relevant Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to ensure your programming is authentic, respectful, and well‑received. To make a lasting impact, consider offering a special incentive—such as a raffle for a trip to WorldPride 2026 in Amsterdam — for queer employees who contribute to these initiatives.

July

It’s Disability Pride and Mad Pride Month. Now is the time to facilitate nuanced discussions around disability and mental illness. Co-create accessibility initiatives with disabled and neurodivergent employees. 

20. World Chocolate Day (July 7, 2026)

Need we say more? Pay homage to the humble cocoa bean by organizing a scavenger hunt for chocolatey treats around the workplace for your employees. For an interactive twist, consider hosting an in-person or virtual chocolate tasting.

21. International Self-Care Day (July 24, 2026)

Congrats, you’ve made it halfway through the year — time for some deserved self-care. Organize wellness programs. These could be a series of instructor-led yoga classes or meditation sessions. You can also subsidize your employees’ subscriptions to meditation apps like Calm or Headspace.

22.  National Disability Independence Day (July 26)

This day marks the anniversary of the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Take it as an opportunity to show them they are valued members of your workforce. Audit your workspaces for accessibility and remind your employees about the benefits available to them.

August

August is National Black Business Month. Organize pop-ups for Black-owned businesses, or conduct mentoring programs for young Black entrepreneurs.

23. International Dog Day (August 26, 2026)

Industry research finds that 49% of dog owners expressed willingness to bring their pets to work if pet-friendly policies are offered. Even if this may be operationally impossible in your work environment regularly, allow your employees to bring their canine companions to work on this day, or host a virtual happy hour where everyone can introduce their pets while videoconferencing. Better still, sponsor pet adoption drives or organize fundraisers for local shelters.  

24. Women’s Equality Day (August 26, 2026)

This national holiday celebrates the passage of the 19th Amendment, which recognized women’s right to vote in the US. The Washington Post reports that, for the first time in almost six decades, the earnings gap between men and women has widened two years in a row. More urgently than ever, there’s more work to do. This is the perfect time for an on-site or virtual panel on allyship and pay equity.

September

Spend Hispanic Heritage Month celebrating the diversity of Latin American culture. Panel discussions and “tapas-and-learns” are in order!

25. National 401(k) Day (September 11, 2026)

If your business offers retirement benefits or a matching program, reiterate those offerings via a company-wide communication or by organizing office hours. Better yet, ask your 401(k) benefits vendor to host a webinar or live Q&A to help employees who'd like to learn more about how to save for retirement.

26. Rosh Hashanah (September 11 – 13, 2026)

Jewish people consider Rosh Hashanah to be the sacred anniversary of the world's creation. Bring out platters of traditional festive dishes like apples and honey, tzimmes (sweet carrot stew), and challah (plaited bread). Remember to offer flexible schedules to your Jewish employees today so they can attend synagogue services and be with their families.

October

Global Diversity Awareness Month is a terrific time to schedule unconscious bias workshops and conduct DEIB surveys. It’s also Black History Month in the UK. Work with your employee resource groups to source meaningful ideas.

27. World Mental Health Day (October 10, 2026)

As you enter the fall months and days get shorter, consider giving employees a day off to decompress. It’s also an excellent time to remind your team to prioritize work-life balance, use your employee assistance program (EAP), and other mental health resources.

28. Halloween (October 31, 2026)

Need new creative ways to celebrate Halloween at work? Besides the usual costumes, consider a pumpkin carving contest, a spooky film screening, or even a costume party for employees’ pets. Keep things cozy by serving some holiday treats like hot cider and doughnuts. 

November

During National Native American Heritage Month, acknowledge the land upon which America is built. Organize field trips, educational panels, and documentary screenings.

29. Diwali (November 8, 2026)

Diwali, also known as Deepavali, is a festive holiday commemorating the triumph of good over evil. It is celebrated with prayer rituals, firecrackers, fireworks, sparklers, and delicious feasts of sweetmeats. Consider lighting up the office with electric lamps and string lights. If possible, create areas where employees can safely light sparklers for some festive fun. Note that devout Hindus refrain from alcohol and eat only vegetarian food during this festival. 

30. World Kindness Day (November 13, 2026)

It's cool to be kind. Give out care packages and create a gratitude program where employees can recollect and share random acts of kindness they observed their coworkers doing in the past year. Use Lattice to dial up employee appreciation with public praise.

31. Thanksgiving (November 26, 2026)

Ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, show employees gratitude with a catered feast or encourage holiday-themed potluck parties within teams. While you might not be able to mail a plate to remote colleagues, grocery gift cards could go a long way in showing your appreciation.

December

32. Giving Tuesday (December 1, 2026)

On the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, partner with a charity, community center, or school to give back to your community. Some ways to contribute include setting up a food or coat drive, donating to a shelter, or purchasing toys for a local children’s hospital. 

33. Ugly Sweater Day (December 18, 2026)

What better way to ring in the holiday season than with an ugly sweater competition? Give out awards for the ugliest sweater among your employees, with fun themes like Christmas movies!

34. Winter Solstice (December 21, 2026)

December hosts a slew of special holidays, so why not pick a day to acknowledge them all? The winter solstice marks the astronomical start of winter and the shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere. Celebrate your team with an office potluck or holiday party — or send them a surprise bundle of gifts to their home address. As Christmas and New Year’s Eve are around the corner, consider gift exchanges, too.

Year-Round Activities to Improve Employee Engagement

Holidays aren’t your only means of bringing people together. Smaller, less involved traditions and events can also help foster employee engagement and morale year-round:

• Birthday and anniversary celebrations: Celebrate employees' birthdays with small parties, decorations, or simple gestures like having your team sign large greeting cards to boost morale. 
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• Employee-led clubs or interest groups: Encourage employees to create and lead clubs or groups based on their interests, like book clubs, sports teams, or hobby enthusiasts. Make sure to loop in new hires as well. 
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• Work anniversary gifts: Provide small gifts or tokens of appreciation to employees on their work anniversaries to show appreciation for their tenure and company loyalty.
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• Social gatherings: Plan regular social events outside the workplace, such as happy hours, picnics, or holiday parties. Use these to mark your company’s growth milestones, such as going public, reaching a certain number of customers, or having a high-revenue year.
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• Wellness challenges: Organize friendly wellness challenges like step-count competitions or healthy eating challenges. Make sure to be inclusive of employees with disabilities.
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• Lunch and learns: Host regular ‘lunch and learn’ sessions where employees can learn from their colleagues or external experts.
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• Volunteer opportunities: Organize opportunities for employees to give back to the community through volunteer work.
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• Heritage months: Celebrating and learning about the diversity of minorities in your company is a great way to strengthen inclusion:
  
  • February: Black History Month (US)
  • March: Women's History Month
  • April: Arab American Heritage Month
  • May: Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Jewish Heritage Month
  • June: LGBTQ+ Pride Month
  • July: Disability Pride and Mad Pride Month
  • September: Latinx Heritage Month, Suicide Prevention Month
  • October: Black History Month (UK), National Arts & Humanities Month, National Work and Family Month
  • November: Native American History Month

How to Decide What to Celebrate

Thinking about what to put in your 2026 employee engagement holiday calendar? Here are a few tips:

1. Take a look at your workplace demographics. If you use a tool like Lattice DEIB Analytics, getting a bird’s eye view of the gender, sexuality, and ethnic diversity of your workforce is just a few clicks away. Why not go one step further and look for commonalities as well? What are some values and interests your staff share? Are many of them dog owners? Are there many bluegrass music lovers? This is a key opportunity to create shared experiences and enhance team bonding. 

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2. Tie employee engagement holidays to company values. For example, if ‘lifelong learning’ is a company value, add in observances like World Book Day and National Arts and Humanities Month.
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3. Have a good mix of mission-driven and just-for-fun observances. Consider having at least one or two of the following categories and intentionally spread them across the calendar year for monthly touchpoints:
   
   • ‍Appreciation Days (eg. Administrative Professionals Day, Employee Appreciation Day)‍
   • DEIB Observances (eg. Juneteenth, International Women’s Day, Native American History Month)‍
   • Health and Wellness (World Mental Health Day, International Self-Care Day)‍
   • Culture and connection-building days (National Trivia Day, Bring Your Dog to Work Day)‍
   • Just-for-Fun Moments (Halloween, World Chocolate Day, Bagel Day)

Best Practices for Promoting Holidays to Your Team

Building your employee engagement calendar is just the first step. You must also effectively promote the holidays to ensure everyone is adequately prepared and can make time if activities fall during the workday or outside the time zones of remote workers who can’t be there in person.

Here are some best practices to consider:

1. Maintain a holiday calendar. Use a shared calendar or scheduling software to track holidays and time-off requests, making it easy for employees to see when the next company holiday is.

2. Communicate early. Give your employees ample notice about upcoming employee engagement holidays so they can plan accordingly. Share your HR calendar at the beginning of the year.

3. Provide equal access to fun. Ensure that the fun activities on engagement holidays create positive lasting memories for staff in different time zones. Thoughtfully consider ways to involve international and remote colleagues in team bonding to boost employee engagement.
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4. Involve employees in planning. Solicit input from your employees via a survey, focus group, or one-on-one. Ask them what activities they'd enjoy and find most engaging. Don’t forget to gather input from a diverse selection of employees. On-site and remote colleagues should also feel equally empowered to share their perspectives.
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5. Guard against performative allyship.  While observing heritage months and recognition days is a fun way to improve DEIB in your workplace, be mindful that your initiatives do not come across as inauthentic. If your leadership’s actions don’t match its promises, it can do more harm than good to your workplace culture. The best way to address this is to involve the communities you seek to serve while planning activities.
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6. Track the impact of your activities. Don’t forget to ensure that your celebrations actually have the desired effect on employee engagement. With tools like Lattice Pulse, you can send out short surveys before and after holidays to see if your initiatives are directly improving employee satisfaction indicators at the individual and team level.

Why Engagement Holidays Matter

Company-wide engagement holidays and observances are an effective and inclusive way to keep your employees’ spirits up. They increase connection, improve employee satisfaction, and reinforce company values without needing a large budget. With thoughtful and intentional planning, globally distributed teams can join in on the holiday celebrations, too.

Additionally, DEIB observances and heritage months provide organizations with the opportunity to take an active stance on political, social, and cultural issues. Our 2026 State of People Strategy Report found that HR professionals working in companies that do so report that 80% of their people are engaged. Meanwhile, HR professionals at organizations that avoid these polarizing issues report only 50% engagement.  

The report also shows that employee engagement has been a critical priority for HR teams for years. Here’s why it should be yours, too:

1. Engaged employees perform better.

There is a strong correlation between employee engagement and performance. Gallup’s 2024 meta-analysis of 3.3 million workers found highly engaged employees have a high level of wellbeing, retention, and organizational citizenship. They also achieve:

• 14% higher productivity
• 23% higher profitability
• 78% less absenteeism

That’s why it’s critical for organizations to deliberately track quantitative and qualitative employee engagement data, including metrics like employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS).

2. Engaged company cultures are inclusive and psychologically safe.

An inclusive environment enhances employee engagement by making employees feel connected with one another and the organization. Company events spark these connections while also demonstrating appreciation for their hard work.

These efforts also create an environment of psychological safety, where employees feel comfortable expressing their opinions, ideas, and concerns without fear of retaliation. Consequently, an inclusive culture is encouraged to bloom, where diverse perspectives are welcomed and considered. 

3. Professional development and engagement are connected.

When companies give employees room to grow, they are rewarded with higher engagement metrics and more creative outputs. Individual contributors may also rely less on management in their daily decision-making, making for more agile teams. ADP’s 2025 People at Work Report found workers were more than three times as likely to describe themselves as highly productive when their workplaces provided training.

According to Cornerstone’s 2023 study on talent mobility, 73% of employees want a better understanding of growth opportunities within their organization. When planning your employee engagement holidays, consider ways to make them educational. For example, ask a recruiting team member to host a lunch and learn to talk through job openings and their required skills for lateral shifts. 

4. Prioritizing engagement is critical to employee wellbeing.   

When employees are engaged in their work and feel valued, supported, and fulfilled, their quality of life improves. In addition to ensuring that workloads are manageable, scheduling engagement holidays can break up the monotony of everyday work and help stave off burnout. 

Unchecked, burnout can impact several aspects of your employee experience, leading to disengagement and low productivity. Burnout may also contribute to attendance issues and emotional exhaustion.

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Operationalizing Employee Engagement Holidays with Lattice

A calendarful of holidays can be an administrative and logistical nightmare — or a breeze with Lattice. Here are a few of the tools you can use to streamline event management.

• Lattice Calendar brings all your organization’s HR and company events into one central hub, providing your employees with a clear, go-to resource for all company happenings.
• Lattice Engagement lets you run pulse surveys in a timely manner to track employee sentiment before and after events.
• Lattice 1:1s allows managers to use holidays as natural conversation prompts about wellbeing, inclusion, or team culture in one-on-one meetings.
• Lattice Analytics gives you real-time engagement data during culture moments to help refine your strategy.
• Lattice Praise makes it easy to tie employee recognition to the theme of each holiday. For instance, you can spotlight HR leaders for their contributions on International Human Resources Day wherever your employees work, whether it’s on Slack or Microsoft Teams.

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