Depending on your proximity to the tragedy, the affect of September 11 on your employees, and the needs of your particular workplace culture, you may want to remember September 11. And if you do, while there is much to mourn and memorialize about September 11, 2001, there is also much to honor and celebrate.
To appropriately honor the individuals, families, and workplaces affected, your remembrance must provide the opportunity for both mourning and for celebration. To address the needs of your own employees, your remembrance must provide the opportunity for both mourning and for celebration.
Workplace Remembrance of September 11, 2001
These ideas will help you select the best combination of opportunities, events, and activities to commemorate the tragic happenings of September 11, 2001. Select those that suit your workplace and employees.
- Set aside a quiet time for thoughts and reflection. Provide a time during which everyone quietly reflects on the meaning of September 11, 2001 in their own lives.
- Provide a shared breakfast or lunch. During the time period, in your area, when the strikes on the World Trade Center and Pentagon occurred, provide a meal in a common area so people have a reason to gather together.
According to a posting by a Human Resources Vice President to a professional list, several weeks after September 11, her workplace held a "Red, White, and Blue Jeans" luncheon during which they played patriotic music, decorated in a patriotic fashion, and had an all-American menu of fried chicken, apple pie, and more.
She added that the event was not a party by any means, but was a good stress reliever and a way to show patriotism. They plan to do this annually in their workplace in remembrance of September 11, 2001.
- Fly your flags at half mast. On December 18, 2001, President George W. Bush signed Public Law No. 107-89 that designated September 11 as Patriot Day. This new law decrees that flags are lowered to half staff, and that the president will issue an annual proclamation to remember the events of September 11, 2001. People in the United States are asked to observe Patriot Day with appropriate activities to honor the people who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.
- Allow employees to take the day off. Some of the people you employ will want to spend the day with family and friends remembering the day, in their own close circle of people, in their own way. Allow the time off, whenever possible.
- Provide the opportunity for people to participate in community service. Some individuals commemorate by giving to the community. According to Gerri Stone, Director of Benefits, at Ogilvy & Mather, "We've had a lot of discussions about what to do on 9-11. We're an advertising agency in New York City and helped to publish the book Brotherhood along with some of our clients.
However, we knew our employees would want to mark the day ... We've always had a Corporate Service Day in December on which employees could volunteer for various neighborhood activities such as working in homeless shelters, delivering meals to the elderly, and so on." To commemorate and memorialize September 11, Stone says they've decided to permanently add a second Corporate Service Day annually on September 11.
