Each year, more and more businesses are prioritising diversity & inclusion initiatives within their workplaces. Unfortunately, the tech industry has long suffered from a diversity skils gap, with minority groups not being represented as they should. By embracing a diverse culture and ensuring employees feel supported, heard and included, the technology industry can flourish and continue the growth we see every year.
A way to celebrate diversity and to help employees feel valued and recognised is to celebrate awareness days, campaigns and dates in the calendar. We’ve put together a 2023 calendar which covers key dates that every employer should be aware of. We’ve included key religious dates for the biggest religions in the UK, however to see a comprehensive list of religious holidays and dates please see this calendar from Diversity Resources.
2023 Diversity & Inclusion dates
January
- 1st – World Day of Peace
- 4th – World Braille Day
- 6th – Epiphany (Christian)
- 7th – Mahayana New Year (Buddhist)
- 7th – Orthodox Christmas
- 8th – Ethnicity Pay Gap Day
- 13th – Lohri Maghi (Sikh)
- 15th – World Religion Day
- 17th – International Mentoring Day
- 22nd – Lunar New Year
- 27th – Holocause Memorial Day
February
- LGBT History Month
- 1st – World Hijab Day
- 3rd – Time to Talk Day
- 4th – World Cancer Day
- 5th – Vasant Panchami (Hindu)
- 6th – 12th – UK Race Equality Week
- 11th – International Day of Women and Girls in Science
- 12th – Autism Sunday
- 15th – Nirvana Day (Buddhist)
- 18th – Maha Shivratri (Hindu)
- 18th – Lailat al Miraj (Islam)
- 20th – World Day of Social Justice
- 21st – Shrove Tuesday (Christian)
- 22nd – Ash Wednesday & Lent starts (Christian)
- 24th – International Stand up to Bullying Day
March
- 1st – International Wheelchair Day
- 1st – Zero Discrimination Day
- 3rd – World Hearing Day
- 6th – Purim (Judaism)
- 8th – International Women’s Day
- 8th – 10th – Hola Mohalla (Sikh)
- 13th – 19th – Neurodiversity Celebration Week
- 14th – 20th – British Sign Language Week
- 15th – Nanakshani – New Year (Sikh)
- 21st – World Downs Syndrome Day
- 21st – International Day for the Elimination of Racism
- 23rd – Ramadan begins (Islam)
- 27th – 31st – World Autism Acceptance Week
- 30th – World Bipolar Day
- 31st – International Transgender Day of Visibility
April
- National Autism Awareness Month
- Stress Awareness Month
- 1st – World Autism Awareness Day
- 5th – 13th – Passover (Judaism)
- 6th – International Asexuality Day
- 7th – Good Friday (Christian)
- 7th – World Health Day
- 9th – Easter Sunday (Christian)
- 10th – Easter Monday (Christian)
- 14th – Vaisakhi (Hindu, Sikh)
- 18th – Laylat al-Qadr (Islam)
- 21st – Eid al-Fitr (Islam)
- 27th – International Girls in ICT Day
May
- Mental Health Awareness Month
- 1st – 7th – Deaf Awareness Week
- 7th – International Family Equality Day
- 10th – National Staff Networks Day
- 15th – 21st – Mental Health Awareness Week
- 17th – International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia
- 18th – Global Accessibility Awareness Day
- 21st – Cultural Diversity Day
- 25th – 27th – Shavuot (Judaism)
June
- Pride Month
- Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Month
- 1st – Global Day of Parents
- 1st – 7th – Volunteers Week
- 5th – 11th – Carers Week
- 5th – 6th – Shavuot (Judaism)
- 16th – Neurodiversity Pride Day
- 16th – Guru Arjan Martyrdom (Sikh)
- 18th – Autistic Pride Day
- 23rd – Women in Engineering Day
- 28th – Eid Al-Adha (Islam)
July
- Disability Pride Day
- 14th – International Non-Binary Persons Day
- 15th – World Youth Skills Day
- 18th July – 17th August – South Asian Heritage Month
- 18th – Nelson Mandela Day
- 29th – Muharram – New Year (Islam)
August
- 1st – 7th – World Breastfeeding Week
- 9th – International Day of the World’s Indigenous People
- 19th – World Humanitarian Day
September
- World Alzheimer’s Month
- 5th – International Day of Charity
- 6th – 7th – Krishna Janmashtami (Hindu)
- 9th – 15th – Baby Loss Awareness Week
- 10th – World Suicide Prevention Day
- 15th – 17th – Rosh Hashanah (Judaism)
- 18th – International Equal Pay Day
- 18th – 24th – International Week of Happiness at Work
- 19th – Youth Mental Health Day
- 21st – UN International Day of Peace
- 23rd – International Day of Sign Languages
- 23rd – Bi Visibility Day
- 24th – 25th – Yom Kippur (Judaism)
- 25th – 1st Oct – National Inclusion Week
- 27th – Milad un-Nabi (Islam)
- 29th – 6th Oct – Sukkot (Judaism)
October
- Black History Month
- World Blindness Awareness Month
- Breast Cancer Awareness Month
- Global Diversity Awareness Month
- ADHD Awareness Month
- 2nd – 8th Dyslexia Awareness Week
- 10th – World Mental Health Day
- 11th – Coming Out Day
- 12th – World Sight Day
- 18th – World Menopause Day
- 18th – Pronouns Day
- 23rd – Dusherra (Hindu)
- 26th – Intersex Awareness Day
November
- Movember / Men’s Health Awareness Month
- Islamophobia Awareness Month
- 1st – National Stress Awareness Day
- 12th – Diwali
- 12th – Remembrance Sunday
- 12th – 18th – Inter Faith Awareness Week
- 13th – World Kindness Day
- 13th – 19th – Transgender Awareness Week
- 14th – Anti Bullying Week
- 16th Nov – 16th Dec – Disability History Month
- 16th – International Day for Tolerance
- 19th – International Men’s Day
- 20th – Transgender Day of Remembrance
December
- 3rd – International Day of Persons with Disabilities
- 7th – 15th – Hanukkah (Judaism)
- 8th – Bodhi Da (Buddhist)
- 10th – Human Rights Day
- 25th – Christmas Day