Check out these seven ways to recognize Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month in the workplace, inspired by Elevate, ADP’s AAPI business resources group.
Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month is about discovering, honoring and recognizing AAPI communities, who bring unique cultures and experiences to the workplace.
“AAPI Heritage Month is a time to celebrate the rich cultural heritage and contributions of all AAPI communities,” says Dave Kwon, corporate vice president and legal director of ADP. Kwon is also the executive sponsor of ADP’s Elevate Business Resource Group (BRG), which supports the organization’s AAPI associates and allies. “We recognize the importance of our AAPI work community and are committed to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in everything we do. To celebrate AAPI Heritage Month, we encourage all organizations to take a moment to reflect on their own diversity, equity, and inclusion practices and to engage with their AAPI employees. Let’s build a more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace for everyone.
So how can you celebrate AAPI Heritage Month at your workplace? First, make sure your celebrations are respectful, inclusive, and guided by fact-based information. Be very careful to avoid biases, stereotypes and assumptions. Focus on education, positivity, and fun, and include as many AAPI communities as possible to improve representation. Avoid singling out or differentiating your AAPI employees. Don’t force them to participate or burden them with tasks and planning. If your employees want to participate, that’s wonderful, but don’t force them.
To help brighten your calendar, here are seven ways to celebrate AAPI Heritage Month at work:
1. Exercise to celebrate AAPI heritage
Energize your mind and body during AAPI Heritage Month with yoga, tai chi, or another form of exercise. These activities can be an energetic way to start the month and provide a dual benefit: exercise is a healthy practice, and employees can learn more about AAPI communities while participating.
During AAPI Heritage Month 2023, ADP’s Elevate BRG will offer virtual 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,” explains Survase. “It can be a welcome addition to any celebration.” Additionally, Norfolk, Virginia, associates will run or walk to a nearby Taiwanese pagoda each week in May. Could you suggest similar exercise-focused activities?
Hire qualified instructors, set dates that work for you, and find ways to accommodate remote and shift workers. Always be mindful of how you communicate these forms of exercise. Avoid stereotypes and insensitive remarks or actions. Also check out your AAPI work community for their thoughts and ideas. Discuss exercise safety, take appropriate precautions, keep management informed of your efforts, and most importantly, encourage your employees to have fun.
2. Host a discussion featuring AAPI leaders
Bringing your AAPI leaders together to discuss AAPI heritage, history, traditions, customs, and current events can help AAPI employees feel seen, heard, and valued. It can also educate other employees about informed and meaningful ways to show appreciation and support. Examples of discussion topics include AAPI history, cooking, music, or art; embracing one’s AAPI heritage; AAPI Inclusion and Achievements; and organizational innovations shaped by past and present AAPI employees. Make discussions collaborative and engaging by setting aside time for questions and solicit input from your AAPI work community to ensure the conversation is informed and representative. Remember to record the meeting for those who cannot attend live and include your remote staff.
3. Play games that involve AAPI heritage
If you want to build engagement in your AAPI Heritage Month activities, AAPI quizzes are a great place to start. Start by researching relevant facts and figures. Make sure the information is accurate, innocuous and appropriate for the workplace. Develop questions and answers from the data and use a free online quiz service, like Kahoot!, to make execution transparent. With Kahoot!, employees can answer questions and compete for the highest score on their computers, phones and tablets. It can be played in the office or at home, making it ideal for remote, hybrid, and on-site workers. You can also combine trivia games with bingo for a new approach to the activity. Create bingo cards that list answers to predetermined questions. Have a caller announce the questions and have players look for the correct answers on their cards until a few players win. Make it a party: play music, give away prizes, and learn about AAPI communities.
4. Incorporate food and art into your celebration
Work with your AAPI work community to prepare cuisines native to Asia and the Pacific Islands. You can also support your local community by purchasing food from nearby AAPI-owned restaurants. From an artistic point of view, the arts and crafts approach works perfectly well. For example, during AAPI Heritage Month 2023, ADP associates in Norfolk, Virginia, will be able to make Ikebana flowers. Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arranging which consists of creating harmonious compositions from natural materials. Additionally, henna artists will also offer tattoos to associates in Tempe, Arizona, and associates around the world will be treated to a virtual session with graphic designer Carlo Vergara on breaking into a global industry as a Asian artist. Playwright Layeta Bucoy will also speak to associates about representing and defending Asian heritage through work. Use these sample events to inspire your AAPI Heritage Month celebrations year after year.
5. Support donations to AAPI organizations
Donating to AAPI-focused organizations is one of the most concrete ways for allies to support their AAPI working community and recognize issues affecting AAPI communities, such as AAPI hate incidents and targeted violence against AAPI women. To generate support, consider hosting a charitable giving campaign encouraging donations to organizations tackling these issues and those that matter most to your AAPI work community. Use your organization’s internal communications channels to increase campaign visibility and consider asking leadership to match donations to help maximize benefits and participation.
6. Form or join an AAPI business resource group
Form a business resource group, or BRG, could be the official kickoff to your AAPI Heritage Month celebration. BRGs are employee-led groups that bring workers together around shared experiences, goals, and events. An AAPI-focused BRG can give a voice to your AAPI employees and allies long after AAPI Heritage Month ends. For example, ADP has a BRG called Elevate. Comprised of some of ADP’s AAPI leaders and open to all ADP employees, Elevate hosts AAPI-focused activities during AAPI Heritage Month and beyond. The BRG empowers people to realize their full career potential by providing networking opportunities, cultural awareness events, leadership development and community outreach initiatives. Could you create or join a similar BRG?
7. Ask AAPI Employees to Share Their Stories
Nothing is more essential during AAPI Heritage Month than hearing the unique stories of your AAPI employees. Consider tactfully and politely asking your AAPI employees to share their experiences on internal communications channels to foster training and relationship-building opportunities. Be tolerant, kind, and respectful if they refuse to share, and remember not to pressure or coerce anyone. After gaining permission and support, share the stories on your company’s social media accounts to highlight the contributions of your AAPI work community. And don’t let their stories get lost in internal and external feeds. Could you put them in an AAPI Heritage Month album that employees could look at year-round?
Recognizing AAPI Heritage Month at Work
However you decide to recognize AAPI Heritage Month, do so authentically, sincerely, and respectfully. AAPI communities bring unique experiences and insights to the workplace. No matter the time of year, AAPI working communities and their allies deserve an inclusive space to celebrate their heritage and discuss the topics they believe are important.
To learn more about inclusive behaviors and practices that can help your organization do and be its best, visit ADP Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) Resource Center.
ADP’s Elevate BRG contributed to this article. Open to all ADP associates, the Elevate BRG is designed to enable associates to realize their full career potential by providing networking opportunities, cultural awareness events, leadership development and community outreach initiatives .
