Engaging your team: International Women’s Day & Harmony Week

Want to bring your team together in a meaningful way? March presents two great opportunities to connect with your team and celebrate diversity and inclusion in your workplace:

8 March: International Women's Day (IWD) – A global celebration of women’s achievements and a call to action for gender equality, with events taking place throughout the whole month of March.

16–22 March: Harmony Week – A time to celebrate Australia’s cultural diversity and focus on inclusivity and belonging.

Whether IWD, Harmony Week, or both resonate with your team, there are plenty of ways to get involved. We’ve put together some inspiration to help you celebrate and show support!

Celebrating International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day (IWD) is all about recognising women’s achievements and action towards gender equality. The 2026 theme is "Give to Gain" encouraging generosity and collaboration, check out the IWD website for more info: www.internationalwomensday.com. Here's some ways to celebrate IWD in your workplace:

1. Bring your team together with an IWD event

• Host an event: There’s more to IWD than cupcakes!  Events create a space for team discussions and are an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of the women in your organisation. In addition to a morning tea spread you could invite a guest speaker or host a panel discussion with leaders from your team.
• Pledge card activity: Set up a space where people can select an International Women’s Day pledge card or create their own. Download the pledge cards templates here.
• ‍Attend an IWD event as a team: Many industries host their own IWD events throughout March where you can buy tickets to attend. If you're not aware of any industry specific events, you might like to check out UN Women Australia or Business Chicks who are hosting events in most Australian major cities.

2. Support women-focused charities

This one is particularly relevant to this year's theme! Make an impact by giving back. Arrange a volunteer day at an organisation that supports women or organise a team fundraiser. There are plenty of charities doing wonderful work, here’s just a few that provide opportunities to volunteer and/or accept donations.

• Women's Community Shelters: Providing support and accommodation for women experiencing homelessness.
• Support The Girls: Empowering vulnerable women with essential products and professionally fitted bras.
• Dress for Success Brisbane: Helping unemployed and underemployed women gain economic independence through career support and professional attire.

3. Raise awareness

Keep it simple and acknowledge IWD by sending out some comms to your team, you could encourage everyone to use IWD email signatures or online meeting backgrounds.

• Download IWD advocacy email signature blocks.
• Download IWD web meeting backgrounds.

Harmony Week

Taking place from 16–22 March, Harmony Week is all about celebrating inclusivity and cultural diversity (you can check out more info on the official website, here.). With 45% of Australians born overseas or having at least one parent who was, it’s a great opportunity to embrace and celebrate the diverse backgrounds within your team.

1. Celebrate with food

• Host a Harmony Week lunch: Ask your team to bring a dish from their cultural background or a favourite family recipe and share a bit about the dish they have brought.
• Team recipe book: Collect team recipes and stories about their favourite cultural dishes and family recipes, compile them into a digital (or printed) book to share.

2. Share & learn together

• Share a photo or story (this is great for remote teams who can’t host an event). Ask everyone to share a picture or story that highlights a cultural celebration, family tradition or a time they experienced and enjoyed traditions from another culture (this could include travel photos and memories too!).

3. Acknowledge the week and show support

• Use Harmony Week email signatures and Teams/Zoom backgrounds to create awareness. Check out the downloadable resources on the Harmony Week website.
• Share infographics or interesting facts on multiculturalism in Australia. You could even highlight your own organisation’s diversity, such as how many languages are spoken across your team!

Need help getting started?

Whether you want to organise an event, set up ongoing initiatives, or simply share resources with your team, we’re here to help! Get in touch with our team of resourceful humans for ideas, guidance, or support in making these celebrations meaningful in your workplace. Contact us.‍

Download our free calendar

Want to stay on top of awareness days, culture celebrations, and team connection opportunities? We’ve pulled together a people calendar here with plenty of tips and reminders on where to focus. DOWNLOAD HERE.

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