How Will Your Business Recognize September 30th?

Is this week just another month-end for your organization, or is it the start of change?

September 30th is a new federal holiday in Canada, marking The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It’s also a chance for your organization to demonstrate a commitment to change, which can have powerful repercussions for your employees, your customers, and your brand.

Engage Your Employees

The day has been created to give all Canadians an opportunity to recognize and reflect on the legacy of our First Nations, Metis and Inuit children who were forced to attend residential schools. Across Canada, this adds a new designated paid holiday for federal employees, and each province has specific guidelines, however it is up to private businesses to decide how they want to honour the day. If you haven’t yet considered your plans for September 30, make this an opportunity to mark a day of change. Show your employees that you care, and give them an opportunity to learn and reflect.

Many organizations are choosing to give their employees a paid day off. If you are able to, make sure that you tell your employees the reason you are doing it, what it means to you as an organization, and suggestions of how they can leverage the day to further their education of the cause. Ensure office sign-off’s reflect this so clients are aware of your commitment as well. If you aren’t able to give your employees the day off, do your best to reflect your organizations mission, and to give them a chance to remember. Consider charitable contributions or employee experiences that can further the cause. You can also educate your employees on opportunities to support survivors, and on organizations they can support.

Go Orange

Since 2013, September 30th has been commemorated as Orange Shirt Day. It was inspired by the story of a residential school survivor, whose orange shirt (a gift from her grandmother) was taken and destroyed by her teacher. Phyllis Jack Webstad’s orange shirt grew to symbolize the goal of residential schools to assimilate Indigenous peoples. We wear orange to remember a 6-year-old Phyllis, who was brave enough to tell her story and begin a movement that would allow Canadians across the country to hear what she and thousands of her classmates had to endure.

Consider providing orange shirts to your team (Official Shirts can be ordered at OrangeShirtDay.Net). Be sure to wear an orange shirt yourself as a physical reminder to all members of your team and your customers. And encourage your employees and customers to visit the Orange Shirt Society to learn more. You can also turn your business orange for a day, shift your social platforms to orange, and help spread the message of #orangeshirtday through your organizations communication channels.

Demonstrate Your Brand Values

I’ve spoken before about Brand Humanity. To me, Brand Humanity goes beyond a PR story or an advertising messaging. It is real, empathetic and collective. It is a reflection of what you believe and the values you want to instill in all elements of your company. How you treat September 30th speaks volumes about your values and your desire for your business to be a good global citizen. Assuming you have a personal desire to support what September 30th represents, consider how your brand can help amplify the message. Your social platforms can be a perfect platform to spread the message, so leverage social channels on September 30th for this purpose. Employee activations, charitable contributions, education and information sharing, and community initiatives are all excellent ways of demonstrating these values. Beyond the 30th, make sure that your organization promotes diversity and inclusion. Consciously forge paths in your brand to understand the truths of those you work with and the people you do the work for, and take opportunities to gain more insight into the history and experiences of your fellow citizens.

However, do NOT just pay lip service to a day of this importance.

This is not a day for the message to build your brand, rather it is a day to consider how your brand can build the message.

You need to actually use your brand to bring the message to life, and give your employees the opportunity to do so as well. This can be sharing of a message, donations, physical demonstrations of support, and more – just make sure that it is representative of the day and of your brand values. Remember that this is a day of mourning, and needs to receive the respect it deserves.

Make A Day of Orange = A Day of Change …for Yourself and Your Business

No matter how you plan to spend the day, be sure to pause to reflect personally, and to think of the more than 6,000 children who are estimated to have died while attending residential schools. While we can’t change history, we can commemorate the tragic loss and legacy of these schools in our country, and honour their survivors, their families and their communities.

Originally published on the Hook Marketing blog.

#orangeshirtday #everychildmatters #nationaldayfortruthandreconciliation

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