At Electives, we’re providing resources to help organizations celebrate holidays that matter to their increasingly diverse employee bases. Below is a list of holidays for the month of March, with links to relevant resources and Electives classes.

Click here to download our 2023 calendar of DEI holidays + observances in the U.S.

This is a predominantly U.S.-based list, as we are a U.S.-based company. If there is a holiday that we should add to our list, please email us to let us know!

Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

March is an opportunity to recognize the positive contributions people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) make in society every day. Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month also serves to raise awareness about the challenges facing those with IDD, to foster understanding and to encourage inclusivity.

Here are some Electives classes that can help your team better understand developmental disabilities at work:

In The power of different thinkers: Creating a neuroinclusive workplace, your team will develop an understanding of the key concepts behind neurodiversity, including the hidden curriculum and executive functioning, and how to create a neuroinclusive workplace.

To ensure your workplace embraces a culture of accessibility and acceptance, Disability + the talent life cycle: The value + impact of HR + DEI leadership explores how to create inclusive employment opportunities from start to finish.

During Expanding diversity; Breaking down barriers in the workplace to include visible & invisible differences, your team will learn about invisible disabilities, covering hidden differences and otherness. This interactive class also speaks to how we cope with feelings of isolation, our need to feel connected to others and the ability to rise above life’s challenges.

Gender Equality Month aims to raise awareness against gender bias in society. It’s also a month dedicated to celebrating the social, academic, political and cultural contributions of women.

Start a conversation about gender equality with these Electives classes:

A conversation about gender equity: Making a difference together provides a safe space to explore and understand gender equity issues like the wage gap or health disparities.

Learn how the 2022 decision to overturn Roe v Wade impacts our daily lives and inclusion efforts during Gender equality post Roe v Wade: Reflections, implications and actions.

Women’s History Month commemorates the vital role women have played in American history. From science to politics, March gives us a chance to reflect on the trailblazing women who led the way for change.

The following Electives classes provide great content and learning opportunities for Women’s History Month:

Did you know A League of their own was based on a true story? It was! You can learn all about the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during A league of your own: Empowering life lessons from pioneering women in baseball.

During Celebrating Women’s History Month: Rise up to the challenge with a fun kahoot-based event, your team will learn the successes, contributions and challenges of U.S. women while building meaningful relationships with colleagues.

Research demonstrates that women, especially women of color, face sometimes hidden workplace barriers. Closing the confidence gap: How women can overcome hidden workplace barriers and the confidence gap explores the impact of hidden barriers and lagging confidence while addressing numerous remedies to overcome such challenges.

First celebrated in 1991, Irish-American Heritage Month honors the achievements and contributions of Irish immigrants and their descendants living in the U.S.

Zero Discrimination Day is helping to create a global movement to end all forms of discrimination. It’s a day to celebrate the right of every human to live a full and productive life with dignity, free from discrimination.

The following Electives classes are perfect for Zero Discrimination Day and taking action throughout the year:

Psychological safety: Fostering inclusive environments for employees across the gender spectrum examines how organizations can and must change to better suit the needs of all individuals, how to challenge your understanding of gender identity and expression, and how to create safe spaces in which all individuals can thrive and find a sense of belonging.

Gain critical understanding about psychological safety and its benefits and how to help build such cultures during Creating psychological safety: How to build and nurture psychological safety in the new workplace.

In Debias training: Breaking barriers + increasing access, your teams will learn how we all hold conscious and unconscious biases, design an action plan to recognize and overcome bias and reinvigorate their practices with inclusion in mind.

International Women of Color Day brings intentional recognition to honor women of color and recognizes those working for justice, equality, reparations and a sustainable world ending the discrimination which women of color/indigenous women have endured.

Help your team learn more about challenges for women of color with this Electives class:

Decolonizing career development: Career pathway building and development so that employees and leaders of color thrive digs into historical ways that workplaces center whiteness in career pathing and offers strategies and tools to dismantle current practices.

The first Friday of March is Employee Appreciation Day. While this should by no means be limited to one day a year, Employee Appreciation Day is an opportunity to intentionally show your team that you appreciate them.

Show your team you appreciate them by investing in some bonding:

Origami: Art therapy for your team is a fun Electives class that rewards your people while giving them a moment of peace and connection time.

Help your leaders learn how to show their appreciation with these Electives classes:

Learn what members of Gen Z are looking for in a workplace during The new employee contract: How to find, keep, and elevate Gen Z talent.

Become a great people manager: How to take a coaching approach vs. a traditional approach to people management unpacks how a coaching approach is different from mentoring, traditional management or consulting and the benefits of this approach.

This Hindu festival celebrates spring, love and new life. Holi marks the end of winter and beginning of spring. It also celebrates the Hindu god Krishna and the legend of Holika and Prahlad.

Learn more about different cultures and how they impact (and benefit) the workplace with these Electives classes:

Heritage + cultural observances: A how to guide for weaving employee culture into your workplace culture is a hands-on opportunity to drive deeper DE&I engagement across your organization through annual planning using culture calendars.

Art of connecting across cultures: Cultivating a global mindset in a multicultural work environment will help you unlock the value of intercultural understanding in a shared virtual space.

International Women’s Day is a global celebration of the social, cultural, political and economic achievements of women. The 2023 theme is #EmbraceEquity — an opportunity to challenge gender stereotypes, call out discrimination and bias and accelerate gender parity.

Celebrate women and take steps toward equity in your workplace with one of these two Electives classes:

Diverse women in leadership: Reducing bias and structural barriers to optimize potential will help you understand how to move beyond implicit bias to better understand the potential and rich contributions of diverse women leaders, and how to support their career advancement.

Increasing the pie: Evidence-based negotiation strategies for women offers a unique approach to negotiating by including science-backed strategies that incorporate emotional intelligence, positive psychology and mindfulness.

Sadly, the Sunshine Protection Act has yet to pass. This means many Americans will lose an hour of sleep at 2:00 AM on Sunday, March 12. Not every state observes the time change, but there’s a chance many of your team members may still be groggy come Monday.

These Electives classes promote self-care and wellness:

Get a solid understanding of how to consistently integrate wellness practices into their daily lives during Filling your cup: What self-care really looks like.

When we fail to manage our stress, it can affect our mental and physical health, our relationships and our success at work. Burnout + resilience: Supporting yourself as you support others will teach your employees to identify the signs of burnout and ways to prevent it, including daily commitments to self-care and greater life shifts for more balance and control.

According to the National Committee on Pay Equity, the date of Women’s Equal Pay Day “symbolizes how far into the year women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year.” On average, women 83 cents for every dollar earned by a man in the U.S. For women of color, this gap widens significantly to 55-63% of what men in the U.S. earn.

Learn more about gender (dis)parity and how leaders and individuals can take action with these Electives classes:

Research demonstrates that women, especially women of color, face sometimes hidden workplace barriers. Closing the Confidence Gap: How women can overcome hidden workplace barriers and the confidence gap explores the impact of hidden barriers and lagging confidence while addressing numerous remedies to overcome such challenges.

Research shows that women often receive less desirable outcomes when they ask for more, but why is that? Women in negotiation: Skills for navigating today + negotiating for a better future will address some of the key factors of this disparity and provide your team with some applicable skills for negotiating as a woman.

St. Patrick’s Day celebrates the foremost patron saint of Ireland and the culture of the Irish in general. Parades, festivals and céilithe mark the day. In the U.S., you’ll often see people wearing green or sporting shamrocks.

In 2011, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution which recognized happiness as a “fundamental human goal” and called for “a more inclusive, equitable and balanced approach to economic growth that promotes the happiness and well-being of all peoples.” Then, in 2012, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution decreeing March 20 as the International Day of Happiness. Since then, many organizations and nonprofits use this day to recognize that progress includes increasing human happiness and wellbeing, not just stimulating economies.

Start a conversation about happiness and altruism by bringing one of these Electives classes to your team:

In The psychology of altruism: Understanding the science of kindness + gratitude, your team will dive into empirical scientific research on altruism, kindness and gratitude, and get practical strategies we all can use to cultivate prosocial behavior in our own lives.

Positive psychology: The science of happiness presents both surprising and not-so-surprising information on the science behind happiness.

If you ask 100 people what they want, 99 will surely say they want to be happy (and that last person may be lying). In Writing your way to happiness: Gaining perspective on your life through 20 minutes of journaling, participants walk through a journaling practice made up of nine key elements that will help anyone understand their attributes, defects, blessings and more.

This month-long holy month is a time for reflection, contemplation and celebration. Fasting is a key part of this observance – from dawn to dusk. Ramadan begins the evening of March 22 and ends the evening of April 21, 2023.

At Electives, we’re providing resources to help organizations celebrate holidays that matter to their increasingly diverse employee bases. Below is a list of holidays for the month of March, with links to relevant resources and Electives classes.

Click here to download our 2023 calendar of DEI holidays + observances in the U.S.

This is a predominantly U.S.-based list, as we are a U.S.-based company. If there is a holiday that we should add to our list, please email us to let us know!
Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
March is an opportunity to recognize the positive contributions people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) make in society every day. Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month also serves to raise awareness about the challenges facing those with IDD, to foster understanding and to encourage inclusivity.

Here are some Electives classes that can help your team better understand developmental disabilities at work:
In The power of different thinkers: Creating a neuroinclusive workplace, your team will develop an understanding of the key concepts behind neurodiversity, including the hidden curriculum and executive functioning, and how to create a neuroinclusive workplace.
To ensure your workplace embraces a culture of accessibility and acceptance, Disability + the talent life cycle: The value + impact of HR + DEI leadership explores how to create inclusive employment opportunities from start to finish.
During Expanding diversity; Breaking down barriers in the workplace to include visible & invisible differences, your team will learn about invisible disabilities, covering hidden differences and otherness. This interactive class also speaks to how we cope with feelings of isolation, our need to feel connected to others and the ability to rise above life’s challenges.
Gender Equality Month
Gender Equality Month aims to raise awareness against gender bias in society. It’s also a month dedicated to celebrating the social, academic, political and cultural contributions of women.

Start a conversation about gender equality with these Electives classes:
A conversation about gender equity: Making a difference together provides a safe space to explore and understand gender equity issues like the wage gap or health disparities.
Learn how the 2022 decision to overturn Roe v Wade impacts our daily lives and inclusion efforts during Gender equality post Roe v Wade: Reflections, implications and actions.
Women’s History Month
Women’s History Month commemorates the vital role women have played in American history. From science to politics, March gives us a chance to reflect on the trailblazing women who led the way for change.

The following Electives classes provide great content and learning opportunities for Women’s History Month:
Did you know A League of their own was based on a true story? It was! You can learn all about the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during A league of your own: Empowering life lessons from pioneering women in baseball.
During Celebrating Women’s History Month: Rise up to the challenge with a fun kahoot-based event, your team will learn the successes, contributions and challenges of U.S. women while building meaningful relationships with colleagues.
Research demonstrates that women, especially women of color, face sometimes hidden workplace barriers. Closing the confidence gap: How women can overcome hidden workplace barriers and the confidence gap explores the impact of hidden barriers and lagging confidence while addressing numerous remedies to overcome such challenges.
Irish-American Heritage Month
First celebrated in 1991, Irish-American Heritage Month honors the achievements and contributions of Irish immigrants and their descendants living in the U.S.

March 1
Zero Discrimination Day
Zero Discrimination Day is helping to create a global movement to end all forms of discrimination. It’s a day to celebrate the right of every human to live a full and productive life with dignity, free from discrimination.

The following Electives classes are perfect for Zero Discrimination Day and taking action throughout the year:
Psychological safety: Fostering inclusive environments for employees across the gender spectrum examines how organizations can and must change to better suit the needs of all individuals, how to challenge your understanding of gender identity and expression, and how to create safe spaces in which all individuals can thrive and find a sense of belonging.
Gain critical understanding about psychological safety and its benefits and how to help build such cultures during Creating psychological safety: How to build and nurture psychological safety in the new workplace.
In Debias training: Breaking barriers + increasing access, your teams will learn how we all hold conscious and unconscious biases, design an action plan to recognize and overcome bias and reinvigorate their practices with inclusion in mind.
International Women of Color Day
International Women of Color Day brings intentional recognition to honor women of color and recognizes those working for justice, equality, reparations and a sustainable world ending the discrimination which women of color/indigenous women have endured.

Help your team learn more about challenges for women of color with this Electives class:
Decolonizing career development: Career pathway building and development so that employees and leaders of color thrive digs into historical ways that workplaces center whiteness in career pathing and offers strategies and tools to dismantle current practices.

March 3
Employee Appreciation Day
The first Friday of March is Employee Appreciation Day. While this should by no means be limited to one day a year, Employee Appreciation Day is an opportunity to intentionally show your team that you appreciate them.

Show your team you appreciate them by investing in some bonding:
Origami: Art therapy for your team is a fun Electives class that rewards your people while giving them a moment of peace and connection time.
Help your leaders learn how to show their appreciation with these Electives classes:
Learn what members of Gen Z are looking for in a workplace during The new employee contract: How to find, keep, and elevate Gen Z talent.
Become a great people manager: How to take a coaching approach vs. a traditional approach to people management unpacks how a coaching approach is different from mentoring, traditional management or consulting and the benefits of this approach.

March 7
Holi
This Hindu festival celebrates spring, love and new life. Holi marks the end of winter and beginning of spring. It also celebrates the Hindu god Krishna and the legend of Holika and Prahlad.

Learn more about different cultures and how they impact (and benefit) the workplace with these Electives classes:
Heritage + cultural observances: A how to guide for weaving employee culture into your workplace culture is a hands-on opportunity to drive deeper DE&I engagement across your organization through annual planning using culture calendars.
Art of connecting across cultures: Cultivating a global mindset in a multicultural work environment will help you unlock the value of intercultural understanding in a shared virtual space.

March 8
International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day is a global celebration of the social, cultural, political and economic achievements of women. The 2023 theme is #EmbraceEquity — an opportunity to challenge gender stereotypes, call out discrimination and bias and accelerate gender parity.

Celebrate women and take steps toward equity in your workplace with one of these two Electives classes:
Diverse women in leadership: Reducing bias and structural barriers to optimize potential will help you understand how to move beyond implicit bias to better understand the potential and rich contributions of diverse women leaders, and how to support their career advancement.
Increasing the pie: Evidence-based negotiation strategies for women offers a unique approach to negotiating by including science-backed strategies that incorporate emotional intelligence, positive psychology and mindfulness.

March 12
Daylight Savings Time
Sadly, the Sunshine Protection Act has yet to pass. This means many Americans will lose an hour of sleep at 2:00 AM on Sunday, March 12. Not every state observes the time change, but there’s a chance many of your team members may still be groggy come Monday.

These Electives classes promote self-care and wellness:
Get a solid understanding of how to consistently integrate wellness practices into their daily lives during Filling your cup: What self-care really looks like.
When we fail to manage our stress, it can affect our mental and physical health, our relationships and our success at work. Burnout + resilience: Supporting yourself as you support others will teach your employees to identify the signs of burnout and ways to prevent it, including daily commitments to self-care and greater life shifts for more balance and control.

March 15
Women’s Equal Pay Day
According to the National Committee on Pay Equity, the date of Women’s Equal Pay Day “symbolizes how far into the year women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year.” On average, women 83 cents for every dollar earned by a man in the U.S. For women of color, this gap widens significantly to 55-63% of what men in the U.S. earn.

Learn more about gender (dis)parity and how leaders and individuals can take action with these Electives classes:
Research demonstrates that women, especially women of color, face sometimes hidden workplace barriers. Closing the Confidence Gap: How women can overcome hidden workplace barriers and the confidence gap explores the impact of hidden barriers and lagging confidence while addressing numerous remedies to overcome such challenges.
Research shows that women often receive less desirable outcomes when they ask for more, but why is that? Women in negotiation: Skills for navigating today + negotiating for a better future will address some of the key factors of this disparity and provide your team with some applicable skills for negotiating as a woman.

March 17
St. Patrick’s Day
St. Patrick’s Day celebrates the foremost patron saint of Ireland and the culture of the Irish in general. Parades, festivals and céilithe mark the day. In the U.S., you’ll often see people wearing green or sporting shamrocks.

March 20
International Day of Happiness
In 2011, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution which recognized happiness as a “fundamental human goal” and called for “a more inclusive, equitable and balanced approach to economic growth that promotes the happiness and well-being of all peoples.” Then, in 2012, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution decreeing March 20 as the International Day of Happiness. Since then, many organizations and nonprofits use this day to recognize that progress includes increasing human happiness and wellbeing, not just stimulating economies.

Start a conversation about happiness and altruism by bringing one of these Electives classes to your team:
In The psychology of altruism: Understanding the science of kindness + gratitude, your team will dive into empirical scientific research on altruism, kindness and gratitude, and get practical strategies we all can use to cultivate prosocial behavior in our own lives.
Positive psychology: The science of happiness presents both surprising and not-so-surprising information on the science behind happiness.
If you ask 100 people what they want, 99 will surely say they want to be happy (and that last person may be lying). In Writing your way to happiness: Gaining perspective on your life through 20 minutes of journaling, participants walk through a journaling practice made up of nine key elements that will help anyone understand their attributes, defects, blessings and more.

March 22
Ramadan
This month-long holy month is a time for reflection, contemplation and celebration. Fasting is a key part of this observance – from dawn to dusk. Ramadan begins the evening of March 22 and ends the evening of April 21, 2023.

Learn more about how to recognize and unite different cultures in the workplace with these Electives classes:
Heritage + cultural observances: A how-to guide for weaving employee culture into your workplace culture is a hands-on opportunity to drive deeper DE&I engagement across your organization through annual planning using culture calendars.
Art of connecting across cultures: Cultivating a global mindset in a multicultural work environment will help you unlock the value of intercultural understanding in a shared virtual space.

March 31
International Transgender Day of Visibility
International Transgender Day of Visibility raises awareness about transgender people, their lives and their contributions to society. It also brings attention to the discrimination, poverty and violence the transgender community faces every day. In fact, more than one in four transgender people report having lost a job due to transphobia and bias.

Looking to build a more inclusive team, but not sure where to start? Here are some Electives that can help:
Why pronouns matter: An introduction to transgender inclusion provides an introductory educational overview on how to be an ally by supporting transgender and non-binary individuals in the workplace.
(Trans)gender history: Looking at gender expression through the ages explores surprising facets of gender history in order to help participants understand the power, flexibility and personality of gender within their own lives. You’ll walk away from this class with some fun facts for conversation and with a deeper understanding of the ways gender is shaped by (and in turn shapes) a wide range of social norms.

Do you want to bring any of our recommended Electives classes to your team?
Contact your Electives customer success representative or schedule a call with our sales team.


The Electives Library of Live Learning is stocked with classes that are inclusive, experiential, impactful and unforgettable. Click here to find the Electives classes that fit your unique learning objectives.


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Click here to download our one-page 2023 DEI Holiday + Observances in the U.S. Calendar.

CALL TO ACTION

Here is a list of U.S. holidays for the month of March, with links to relevant resources and Electives classes. 

DEI holidays to celebrate in March 2023

Fri Jan 06 2023

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