As we shut out 2025 and say goodbye to all its ups and downs, we will take the chance to replicate on our worker expertise programming, what labored and what didn’t, and what we need to strive within the new 12 months. And January, with its themes of renewal, resolutions and progress, is the proper alternative to put a powerful basis for a very good 12 months.
Beneath, you’ll discover a assortment of the themes, occasions and holidays noticed and celebrated all through the month of January together with some inventive, considerate concepts for the right way to use them in your worker expertise planning.
Skilled focus
Nationwide Mentoring Month
It is a nice followup to Nationwide Studying & Improvement Month (November) and Nationwide Profession Improvement Month (December) and a chance to arrange a brand new cross-discipline mentorship program alternative for workers to cross-train and familiarize themselves with completely different capabilities or departments of the enterprise.
Emphasize any coaching or studying alternatives in your studying administration system that workers can devour on their very own, in addition to any funds or funding for exterior alternatives that might profit their job efficiency.
Social accountability and activism alternatives
Regardless of the place your group is positioned on this planet, members of its neighborhood have additional assist wants that it might probably contribute to in a significant means, strengthening each worker sentiment and broader organizational status. And, to that finish, you will discover applicable occasions to information your efforts each month.
In January, your group can observe:
- World Braille Day on Jan 4 – celebrating the writing and studying system developed by Louis Braille in 1824, a revolutionary improvement that has benefited blind people around the globe for 2 centuries.
- Nationwide Human Trafficking Consciousness Day on Jan 11 – elevating consciousness for a key social problem of our time
- Worldwide Thank You Day on Jan 11 – a pleasant alternative to increase a phrase of gratitude to all of our employees, particularly for his or her efforts and successes through the vacation season.
- World Faith Day on Jan 18 – celebrating the breadth of range of human perception techniques
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Jan 19 – celebrating an necessary determine in American civil rights historical past
- Celebration of Life Day on Jan 22 – recognizing the enjoyment and surprise that youngsters carry to our lives
- Nationwide Praise Day on Jan 24 – a chance to make somebody’s day
Nationwide Blood Donor Month
Blood donation is a type of actions that many people imply to do, however easy inconveniences get in the way in which. Assist your individuals make a constructive distinction on this planet by internet hosting blood drives in your workplaces, warehouses or shops and permit individuals to join time slots to make the method environment friendly and reduce productiveness loss from queuing.
Create a particular eCard to ship out to any worker who makes an appointment within the drive to have fun their donation.
A bit of silliness is nice for the soul
No month could be full with out not less than one lighthearted “vacation” to have fun the little issues in life. Whereas usually irrelevant to the scheme of enterprise operations, these holidays perform as worker neighborhood constructing and morale boosting alternatives. Not solely can they act as the inspiration of an in-person occasion, they will additionally form the theming or aesthetic of firm comms all through the month, and act as simple materials for preserving your recognition program contemporary and lively (similar to each different class listed above).
For instance:
- Nationwide Pastime Month – begin a dialog amongst your groups by prompting individuals to share any of their New Yr‘s resolutions, pressure-free. This permits your individuals to encourage and encourage one another and even discover frequent pursuits they might not have beforehand recognized.
- Nationwide Science Fiction Day on Jan 2 – have fun your favourite speculative fiction creators along with your employees as we speak; immediate your individuals to share their favourite books, reveals, films or different media properties and let the passion stream!
- Nationwide Trivia Day on Jan 4 – host a digital trivia hour on popular culture, industry-specific subjects and even organization-specific subjects; when you have it on the finish of the workday, you can also make it “Convey Your Personal Beverage” and make it extra informal.
- Nationwide Bobblehead Day on Jan 7 – this may be dearer to have fun than different holidays in case you select to make everybody a bobblehead, however it may be a enjoyable method to reward your individuals for an distinctive gross sales 12 months, for instance, and even to make use of as a reward for a wellbeing problem and even award nominations.
- Houseplant Appreciation Day on Jan 10 – for these inexperienced thumbs amongst us, houseplants are treasured family members. Sponsor a plant-based volunteer exercise for workers to join, spruce up your comms with some floral decor, and even ship (keen) people house with a beginner-friendly (and environmentally applicable!) plant.
- Nationwide Rubber Ducky Day on Jan 13 – Maybe you cover rubber duckies across the workplace; maybe you host a rubber ducky–themed scavenger hunt; maybe you even give all of your individuals themed rubber duckies!
- Nationwide Costume Up Your Pet Day on Jan 14 – encourage workers to place their pets in costumes and share photographs! You may actually have a photograph contest – don’t neglect to award the winner(s) a prize!
- Squirrel Appreciation Day on Jan 21 – I can acknowledge that squirrels will be little menaces in some contexts, however they are fairly cute, and lots of people discover nice enjoyment of their presence. Embody a pair squirrel enjoyable details in one in every of your worker comms or donate a small sum to an area wildlife rescue group.
- Nationwide Puzzle Day on Jan 29 – Drop a puzzle in your break room or worker kitchen for workers to drop in and place a bit or two at a time all through the day.
Meals-based alternatives
Quite a lot of organizations are searching for alternatives to attract their workforce again into bodily workplace areas, and one efficient technique is to feed them. Each month has a wide range of enjoyable, unofficial food-based holidays that remember all of our beloved treats and staples, and these are excellent alternatives to have interaction along with your workers, raise spirits and facilitate these collaborative conversations managers really feel nostalgic about.
And whereas a few of these holidays are markedly simpler to look at than others, highlighting even one in every of a majority of these occasions in a month can do wonders to spice up morale and, as a direct outcome, productiveness. Particularly in case your group sees a busy interval across the holidays, this sort of occasion can be restorative for workers as a result of they’re receiving a type of care.
Bonus tip: Use these gatherings as alternatives to spotlight recognition moments – particularly any that embody a tangible reward – throughout your workforce. Combining recognition celebrations along with your engagement actions reinforces the sense of neighborhood and shared loyalty.
In January, you’ll discover such tasty celebrations (and extra!) as:
Nationwide Soup Month
Cater a soup- and stew-focused lunch buffet. There are numerous forms of soups and stews all through each tradition on this planet, and the web’s attain has more and more broadened the fusion of cuisines, flavors and kinds. In case your group has a giant tradition of house cooking, you can invite people to herald their favourite recipes to share!
Have a giant firm assembly this month? Think about using the idea of soup as a metaphorical framework on your agenda.
Is your group making a CSR dedication in 2026? Contribute to that mission by internet hosting a volunteer occasion at an area soup kitchen and even sponsoring some variety of meals to make a tangible distinction in your neighborhood.
Create a punny soup-themed appreciation eCard for workers to ship to one another this month.
Different dates on this enjoyable class:
Usher in theme-appropriate snacks – you can even assist native small companies with each!
- Nationwide Cream Puff Day – Jan 2
- Nationwide Spaghetti Day – Jan 4
- Nationwide Marzipan Day – Jan 12
- Nationwide Bagel Day – Jan 15
- Nationwide Popcorn Day – Jan 19
- Nationwide Chocolate Cake Day – Jan 27
- Nationwide Croissant Day – Jan 30
Attain out to study extra about how Reward Gateway | Edenred will help you enhance your worker expertise and make your nook of the world a greater place to work.
