Resources, Tools, Learning Opportunities
1. Why do we have holiday decoration and celebration guidelines?
Our employees observe many cultural and religious holidays during the year. We must be mindful and respectful of the rich and diverse cultures that are present in our workplace and the communities we serve.
As a government entity, we must strive to avoid the appearance of endorsing one religion over another religion. These guidelines are consistent with federal and state laws*. Please communicate them with your teams and coworkers.
2. What holiday decorations are allowed?
Only secular holiday decorations may be displayed in public areas or shared workspaces.
Secular holiday decorations include things like tinsel, garland, snowmen, candy canes, reindeer, greenery, trees, wreaths, colorful fabrics, seasonal fruit, pine cones, icicles, berries, decorative balls, strings of lights, and flameless candles.
Decorating trees or shrubs, as well as gift giving and charity, were originally part of the pagan holiday of Saturnalia. Tinsel was developed in Nuremberg Germany in the 16th century. It derives from a French word "estincele" that means sparkle. It was originally used to adorn statues and used to reflect the light from candles. It became a way to decorate trees in the 19th century. It has been used in India to decorate for weddings and other ceremonies and celebrations year-round.
Do not display holiday decorations with religious content or symbols in public areas or shared workspaces
Employees may only display religious decorations in their private workspaces.
3. How do I know if an area is public, shared, or private?
A public area is any space to which the public has physical or visual access that is not a private workspace. For example, lobbies, reception areas, front counters, conference rooms, hallways, or exteriors of buildings are all public areas. Please be mindful that if you are in a zoom or virtual meeting with a client, customer, or the general public, then this may be considered a public space. You may want to consider blurring your background or using a Larimer County virtual background when meeting with the public.
A shared workspace is used or shared by employees, such as copy rooms, conference rooms, shared offices, bathrooms, break areas, or zoom meetings.
Private workspaces are assigned exclusively to one employee. This can include a cubicle, desk, or office that may be seen occasionally by coworkers but not by clients, customers, or the general public.
4. I want to have a holiday party with my team. Is that okay?
Holiday activities, such as luncheons, potlucks, or gift exchanges must be voluntary. Not every employee may feel comfortable participating in these activities, have the means to participate, or their religious beliefs may prevent their participation.
Respect employee decisions to not participate.
Supervisors and managers should not be perceived as endorsing or supporting religion generally or one religion over another.
5. What are additional ways individuals or teams could create a more welcoming work environment as it relates to holidays and celebrations?
To create a more welcoming work environment, consider planning a meal to share and learn about different cultural traditions and holidays at various times of the year. Consider establishing a communication channel for team members to communicate dietary restrictions before your celebration.
If you are scheduling an event offsite, make sure your venue choice has enough room and is accessible for individuals using assisted mobility devices.
If you are planning a party, consider scheduling it during work hours. Many team members may have obligations and important commitments after work hours.
Being engaged throughout the year doesn't mean you have to throw parties during every holiday. You can acknowledge holidays in smaller ways, such as sending email reminders about the holiday, providing educational information, giving handwritten cards or notes, announcing the holiday during team meetings and sharing what you have learned about it and making space for others to share if/how they are observing if they feel comfortable.
6. Can I display real candles at work?
No. It is important to consider safety. Unfortunately, preventable fires associated with real candles claim lives and destroy property.
Please carefully consider the flammability and potential fire risk of decorations and follow your department’s guidelines for the use of electrical devices or flameless candles.
7. Can we display trees or wreaths in public areas?
Yes. Trees or wreaths can be displayed in public areas or shared workspaces. The U.S. Supreme Court determined in County of Allegheny v. ACLU Greater Pittsburgh Chapter, 492 U.S. 573 (1989) that trees and wreaths are secular symbols.
8. Can an employee display a nativity scene, menorah, or other religious symbol in their cubicle or office?
Yes, if the employee’s cubicle or office is a private workspace assigned exclusively to that employee, not shared with another employee, and not generally visible to the public.
9. Who can I contact if I have questions or concerns about holiday or celebration decorations?
Please contact your HR Generalist.
*This Hastings Law Journal article, specifically page 31, from August 2023 references the Establishment Clause and does an extremely brief history of Supreme Court decisions on the display of religious symbols in public settings.
- Part of being a respectful workplace means using words and language that honors the individual you are interacting with. A big part of this is understanding, learning about, and using pronouns appropriately. Intentionally and repeatedly mis-using an individual's pronouns is not respectful. At Larimer County we encourage and recommend that our employees take time to learn about pronoun importance and use. This page is intended to provide such tools and resources.
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Subjective Objective Possessive Reflexive Example She Her Hers Herself She is speaking. He Him His Himself He is speaking. They Them Theirs Themself They are speaking. Ze Hir/Zir Hirs/Zirs Hirself/Zirself Ze is speaking. An informational Pronoun Ebook can be found
for a guide on how to set up your pronouns in Zoom and your email signature.
- Why isn't this required? Currently, Larimer County strongly encourages and recommends the use of pronouns in your email signature and Zoom for the various reasons described within this webpage. It is not required because we have not completed countywide education on it. Requiring employees to do something they are not trained to do allows for missteps to happen and for unintended consequences. We do not want that. Therefore, we are making this page a place of on-going learning and growth. If a department head is interested in exploring this as a requirement within their department, please reach out to Nicole Berg, Learning Administrator to discuss further.
- Check out these resources to learn more about pronouns. https://www.mypronouns.org/what-and-why and these videos https://www.mypronouns.org/resources
Click here to watch a video on the benefits of an age-friendly workplace.
