Back 5 minute read

How celebrating Hari Raya in Singapore helps companies build DEI

How celebrating Hari Raya in Singapore helps companies build DEI 5
minute
read

Hari Raya Puasa is a religious festival following a month of fasting, known as Ramadan, and is celebrated by Muslims all over the world. Also known as Eid al-Fitr and Hari Raya Aidilfitri in Singapore, Hari Raya Puasa falls on the first day of the 10th month of the Hijrah (Islamic) calendar. The Hijrah is a lunar calendar, therefore the dates vary from year to year.

Ramadan falls on the ninth month of the Islamic year. During Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn to sunset and also perform religious duties. On the morning of Hari Raya Puasa, Muslim families celebrate the end of the month-long fast by visiting the Mosque and reciting prayers. They also seek reconciliation with one another and forgiveness by distributing green packets to the elderly or children in the family.

The colour green highlights its connection with the Islamic paradise. Muslim families hand out money in green envelopes, following the Islamic concept of Zakat meaning to give a certain amount to charitable causes.

The act of handing out money in green packets has various significance. Children receive it as a form of goodwill and blessing, while they are given to the elders to seek their blessings and as a form of respect. The green packets can also be used to express gratitude towards those who have contributed to the family.

HOW DID FIRST PAGE DIGITAL CELEBRATE HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI IN SINGAPORE?

Celebrating diversity in the workplace is not something new in Singapore. At First Page Digital, we know this too well! Recently, we threw a Hari Raya party to celebrate the festival of forgiveness and strengthening the bonds between our multi-ethnic staff. Everyone came dressed up in green, and we celebrated together as one big First Page family. Our team even participated in filming a Hari Raya TikTok video. The event was a success as everyone enjoyed the delectable Muslim lunch organised by the company.

Festivals like Hari Raya let us come together and facilitates engagement with our peers. At the same time, we learn about the variety of cultures our colleagues come from. Being able to participate in and enjoy various religious and cultural festivals regardless of our background acknowledges the diversity that thrives within Singapore and our support for more inclusive environments.

WHAT IS DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION (DEI)?

To create and maintain a successful workplace, DEI should be one of the priorities of a company. Celebrating festivals like Hari Raya in Singapore encourages diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in workplaces. Diversity ensures a balanced representation of different groups of individuals, equity ensures offering the same benefits to all the employees while inculcating a sense of belonging (inclusion) among them.

Diversity recognises and appreciates the differences within a company or organisation. These differences can include people of different ages, races and ethnicities, genders, religions, sexual orientations, abilities and disabilities, and cultures. Equity ensures the impartiality of these policies and programmes, which means every individual enjoys fair and equal opportunities. Inclusion promotes a work culture where people feel they are welcomed to contribute and participate.

IMPORTANCE OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

Diversity, equity, and inclusion matter because they help build a work culture that is capable of evolving, innovating and solving problems as a cohesive team. By practising DEI, organisations in Singapore can encourage their employees to be themselves at work and celebrate their uniqueness. It can make employees feel welcomed, safe, respected and more connected.

Adding to this is the creativity or innovative ideas that a diverse workforce brings. In any organisation, if a team is more diverse in terms of culture, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, age, experience level, educational background, or expertise, this can help them draw inspiration from their experiences at different places that can lead to innovative ideas.

With regard to employees, different perspectives will prove valuable, as collaborating with people who don’t think alike will force them to think more critically and creatively. Writing for the Harvard Business Review, director of learning research and development for EY Americas, Heidi Grant, and cofounder of the Neuroleadership Institute David Rock shared, a more diverse workplace will keep the employees’ biases in check and refrain them from making any assumptions about co-workers.

Many studies have proved how diverse teams perform better and bring more profits.

  • As per the 2015 McKinsey report on 366 public companies across a range of industries in Canada, Latin America, the United Kingdom, and the United States, it was discovered that those with greater ethnic and racial diversity in management were 35% more likely to have higher financial returns. Additionally, more gender-diverse management was 15% more likely to have better returns.
  • Another McKinsey study revealed that U.S. public companies with diverse executive boards have a 95% higher return on equity than others.
  • Another study on 1,700 companies in eight countries (Austria, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Switzerland, and the US) across different industries and company sizes by the Boston Consulting Group disclosed that companies with above-average diversity on their management teams reported 19% higher innovation revenue than that of companies with below-average leadership diversity.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion go hand-in-hand. In a work environment where employees witness a variety of cultures, backgrounds, and mindsets, they are more likely to feel comfortable being themselves. This will lead to a happier, more content, trustworthy, engaged, satisfied and more productive workforce.

FIRST PAGE DIGITAL – EMBRACING DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

At First Page Digital in Singapore, DEI has always been the priority. Celebrating Hari Raya Puasa every year is just one way of cementing our DEI efforts. Here, we welcome people from diverse backgrounds having different capabilities and strengths, as we believe in having talents from all backgrounds and from all around the world. As the fastest-growing digital marketing agency in Singapore, our company is a blend of talents from different countries who are hired for their experience, skills, and expertise in their respective fields.

The concept of DEI has always been ideal for the company as this promotes positivity, creativity, cooperation, and engagement among the employees. We believe in embracing the individuality of each and every employee who becomes a part of the company so that they can work to their full potential. Due to having a diverse team of employees at our SEO agency in Singapore, we have a pool of great ideas coming out of our staff’s unique experiences, and that’s what keeps us ahead of the competition. Moreover, we do not believe in hiring leaders to fill top roles; rather, we provide equal opportunities to all the employees to get promoted in the company.

By creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where employees share unique perspectives and respect differences, we help them reach their full potential without barriers. With a productive and diverse team, we have helped businesses grow with SEO marketing by offering the right blend of SEO services, social media marketing, SEO copywriting and other services in the digital marketing industry in Singapore.

Interested in joining our team where everyone helps each other win? At First Page, you get various opportunities to grow while working under the right leaders. For our clients, we understand that no two businesses can be the same, hence, we tailor our services accordingly to ensure that they match our client’s unique business requirements. Contact us today to start working on good things together.