Employee Engagement Ideas and Activities in May

The Evolving Landscape of Workplace Connection

Employee engagement in the US has hit its lowest point in over a decade, with just 31% of workers feeling engaged at work, according to Gallup's 2025 report. Amid economic uncertainty and limited growth opportunities HR leaders and employees are dealing with disconnection and stagnation. Many workers feel stuck in outgrown roles, while HR teams face mounting pressure to re-energize their people.

May, observed as Mental Health Awareness Month, presents a timely opportunity for organizations to reinvigorate their workforce with fresh, meaningful engagement strategies. Whether you’re looking to spark joy, find balance, or reconnect with your purpose, here are some energizing engagement ideas to help you and your team thrive.

Capitalizing on May: Strategic Themes for Engagement

May is full of special days and events that give organizations a chance to connect with people in meaningful ways. By thoughtfully aligning activities with these events, organizations can build community while honoring diverse experiences.

Key US Holidays & Observances in May

1. Memorial Day (Last Monday)

When organizations plan activities around these events, they can bring people together and show appreciation for different cultures and experiences.

Create space for employees with military connections to share stories

Implement a "gratitude wall" acknowledging sacrifices

2. Mother's Day (Second Sunday)

Recognize and support caregivers in the workplace. Offer family-friendly initiatives, spotlight working parents, or provide flexible options acknowledging their dual responsibilities.

Take initiatives to expand recognition to include all caregiving roles

Host discussions on work-life integration

3. Cinco de Mayo (May 5th)

Celebrate Mexican culture and heritage with cultural sensitivity. Highlight traditions, cuisine, music, and history through employee-led events or educational spotlights.

Partner with Hispanic/Latino Employee Resource Groups for authentic celebrations

4. Mental Health Awareness Month

Take proactive steps to support mental wellness. Host stress-reduction sessions, share mental health resources, and foster open conversations around psychological safety.

You can launch wellness Wednesdays with guided mindfulness sessions

Training managers on recognizing burnout signs and creating accessible mental health resources would be welcome.

5. AAPI Heritage Month

Honor the contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. Invite guest speakers, share employee stories, and spotlight AAPI-led businesses or art.

It is a good time to review inclusion practices with actionable improvements

6.Global Employee Health & Fitness Month

Encourage movement and healthy habits through wellness challenges, walking meetings, or fitness classes supporting physical and social wellbeing.To further assist you in such initiatives, you can use platforms like Vantage Fit , which makes it interactive and fun. The platform incentivizes challenges and prompts healthy habits.

7.Create inclusive team wellness challenges

Look at offering movement breaks during longer meetings and providing ergonomic assessments for workspaces

8.Seasonal Spring Engagement Opportunities

Leverage the spirit of growth and renewal with outdoor team-building activities, green office initiatives, or goal-setting workshops that align with personal and professional development

Implement "fresh start" campaigns for stalled initiatives

Actionable Employee Engagement Ideas for May

From meaningful observances to the uplifting energy of spring, May offers countless opportunities to re-engage employees in authentic, purposeful ways. Here's a breakdown of creative, inclusive, and impactful employee engagement ideas across key focus areas:

Team Building & Collaboration Ideas

Blossom Together: Take your team meeting outdoors under a flowering tree—you'd be amazed how a change of scenery sparks creativity that office walls seem to contain

"Meet My World" Virtual Tours: Block a day for team members give a sneak peek or tour of their neighborhood, favorite local spot, or home garden during video calls. These glimpses into personal spaces help build lasting connections

Heritage Story Circles: Create intimate spaces where team members can share family recipes, traditions, or photos that connect them to their Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI heritage).

Honor Walk: Drop the standard Memorial Day emails. Instead organize a team walk where each person carries the name of someone who served—these tangible acts of remembrance create profound shared experiences.

Wellness Initiatives for May

Mental Health Awareness Month

• "I'm Not OK and That's OK" Sessions: Encourage and host judgment-free conversations where even leaders share personal mental health challenges—vulnerability from the top transforms culture faster than any policy.

• EAP Success Stories: Have real employees (who are comfortable sharing) talk about how the Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) helped them through tough times—personal testimonials add more credibility to such initiatives.

• Worry Drop Box: Create physical or digital spaces where team members anonymously share what's keeping them up at night—addressing collective concerns brings remarkable relief.

Global Employee Health & Fitness Month

Encourage movement and healthy habits through wellness challenges, walking meetings, or fitness classes supporting physical and social wellbeing, like -

• Walking Phone Calls: Encourage teams to take one-on-one calls while walking outside—these "moving conversations" often become the most honest exchanges of the week.

• "How I Recharge" Board: Create a shared space where employees post photos of their favorite wellness activities—discovering a colleague shares your passion for hiking creates instant bonds.

General Spring Wellness

• Sunshine Signals: When the weather's perfect, have leaders send "sunshine alerts" encouraging everyone to take 15 minutes outside

• Plant Parenthood: Distribute small desk plants with care instructions—this can help create daily moments of mindfulness

Recommended Read: Impact of Rewards and Recognition On Mental Health on The Growing Importance Of Mental Health At The Workplace.

Recognition & Appreciation Programs

Drive engagement through consistent, meaningful recognition:

• Launch or amplify peer-to-peer recognition tools to highlight everyday contributions.

• Give special shoutouts to those supporting Mental Health Awareness initiatives, AAPI Heritage, and Military Appreciation.

• Include thank-you notes, spotlight stories, or recognition walls (virtual or physical).

Professional Development & Growth Opportunities

Invest in your people's learning and long-term success:

• Host career development workshops and lunch-and-learns on trending skills or growth paths.

• Offer Mental Health First Aid training to empower employees to support themselves and others.

• Promote access to on-demand learning platforms for self-paced development.

Social Gatherings & Celebrations

Build community through inclusive celebrations:

• Plan spring picnics, BBQs, or casual socials to unwind together.

• Celebrate Cinco de Mayo and AAPI Heritage Month with respectful cultural programming—think food tastings, storytelling, or cultural showcases.

• Organize a Memorial Day gathering or remembrance event to honor service and sacrifice.

Community Involvement & Volunteering

• Letters to Deployed: Organize team sessions and write personal messages to active service members. Expressing gratitude is a great way to show solidarity and often becomes a team favourite.

• Crisis Text Support Training: Volunteer together to learn how to support those facing mental health challenges

• "My Community Heroes" Projects: Support organizations that team members personally connect with—volunteering becomes transformative when it touches personal values

Recommended Resource: To know more about rewards and recognition ideas , you can go through our blog on 50 Rewards And Recognition Ideas To Boost Employee Recognition

Adapting May Engagement Across Work Environments

As the workplace continues to evolve, so should your engagement strategies. It is important to note that when you design experiences that speak to fundamental human needs, even the most dispersed teams can develop bonds that transcend any distance.

Here's how to make engagement work across different environments:

Engaging Remote Employees

• Virtual Connection Rituals: Start team calls with quick personal check-ins like "What's blooming in your neighborhood?" These small touchpoints create surprising emotional bonds across screens. Use Zoom, Donut, or Icebreaker platforms for trivia games, mindfulness sessions, or virtual coffee chats.

• Delivered Experiences: Send identical care packages to team members' homes to create shared sensory moments despite distance.

• Digital Campfire Stories: Host optional end-of-day "wind down" sessions where remote teammates share daily wins or challenges—these casual spaces often become where authentic team culture grows.

• "My Window" Photo Challenge: Have remote employees share the view from their workspace—these glimpses into personal environments spark conversations that standard meetings rarely do.

• Inclusive Communication: Foster transparency and belonging through regular updates, recognition shoutouts, and open channels like Slack or Microsoft Teams.

• Engaging Hybrid Teams

Bridge the gap between remote and in-office employees with equitable, blended experiences:

• Design Equitable Engagement: Ensure remote and in-person employees have access to the same resources, events, and recognition. Use digital whiteboards where in-person and remote employees contribute ideas simultaneously—this visual equality transforms participation patterns instantly.

• Shared Hybrid Activities: Run inclusive initiatives like virtual fitness challenges, online volunteering, or live-streamed celebrations for Memorial Day or Cinco de Mayo.

• Balance Asynchronous & Synchronous Touchpoints: Provide flexibility with engagement options that accommodate different schedules and time zones.

• "How We Work" Charters: Co-create team agreements about communication, meeting etiquette, and decision-making that respect both remote and in-person needs—these collaborative agreements build remarkable trust.

Engaging In-Person Teams

Use your physical workspace to foster connection and boost morale:

• Leverage Office Spaces: Organize wellness corners, gratitude walls, or spring-themed breakroom décor to create an uplifting atmosphere.

• Team Bonding Moments: Encourage lunch-and-learns, walking meetings, or end-of-week social hours to deepen relationships and morale.

• Environment Refresh: Transform meeting spaces with seasonal elements—simple additions like flowering branches or Memorial Day remembrance displays create conversation catalysts beyond typical work topics

• "Walk & Talk" Meetings: Establish regular outdoor sessions where teams discuss challenges while moving through nearby green spaces—these physical journeys often parallel breakthrough thinking

• Comfort Corner: Designate a physical space for Mental Health Month where employees can take recharge breaks—these tangible sanctuaries become potent symbols of your wellbeing commitment

Cultivating Inclusivity in May Engagement Efforts

May offers a unique opportunity to celebrate diversity, promote wellbeing, and honor service. Embedding diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) into your engagement strategies ensures every employee feels seen, respected, and valued. Here's how :

Designing for Diversity

Understanding and embracing the diverse backgrounds of your workforce is crucial:

• Know Your People: The US Census Bureau states that nearly 4 in 10 Americans identify with a race or ethnic group other than white, highlighting the importance of culturally responsive engagement strategies.

• Diversify Activities: Offer various engagement options—from cultural showcases to wellness sessions—to ensure inclusivity and relevance for all employees.

Cultural Sensitivity in Engagement

Honoring cultural observances with respect and authenticity fosters a more inclusive environment:

• Celebrate Respectfully: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) represent a significant portion of the US workforce, with employment-population ratios higher than the national average. Recognize AAPI Heritage Month through educational events, storytelling sessions, and employee-led discussions.

• Empower ERGs: Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) play a vital role in fostering inclusion, helping employees feel a sense of belonging and community.

Inclusive Language & Communication

Effective communication is key to fostering an inclusive workplace:

• Use Gender-Neutral Language: In job descriptions and internal communications, language choices can impact inclusivity. For instance, as per research, using terms like "aggressive" can discourage 44% of women and 33% of men from applying to a job.

• Prioritize Accessibility: Ensure all materials are accessible, including providing content in multiple languages and formats suitable for screen readers.

Building Psychological Safety and Belonging

Creating an environment where employees feel safe and valued is essential. Gallup's March 2024 survey of 151 Chief Human Resource Officers (CHROs) from large companies reveals that well-being ranks among the top organizational priorities this year for one in four CHROs (23%). Here are a few things you can do

• Lead by Example: Leadership should demonstrate commitment to inclusivity and employee support.

• Encourage Open Dialogue: Fostering psychological safety—where employees feel comfortable sharing ideas and concerns—can increase engagement and innovation.

Finally, Blueprint for Success: Turning May Engagement Ideas Into Impact

A great employee engagement plan is more than a list of events—it's a coordinated effort that aligns with your values, energizes your people, and delivers real results. Here's how to turn your May initiatives into moments that matter.

Strategic Planning: Set the Foundation Early

Significant engagement starts with a solid plan. Whether focusing on wellness, cultural awareness, or spring celebrations, having a strategy ensures your efforts have an impact.

• Set Clear Goals: Anchor your initiatives with measurable, relevant, and achievable SMART goals.

• Map Activities to Your Culture: Choose initiatives that reflect your organization's values, like inclusivity, wellbeing, or learning.

• Co-Create with Employees: Invite your people into the planning process: employee input = employee buy-in.

Communication: Get People Excited and Involved

Good communication makes all the difference. Use fun teasers, countdowns, and visuals to grab attention. Ask leaders, ERGs (Employee Resource Group), or teammates to share what they're looking forward to—it helps create a buzz. Share updates across all your usual channels—email, chat tools, posters, and town halls.

Execution: Keep It Easy, Fun, and Meaningful

When you roll out your activities, make it simple for people to join in. Ask team leads to help spread the word and encourage others. Offer a mix of activities so there's something for everyone—whether it's a virtual session, an office event, or time outside.

Feedback & Follow-Up: Listen and Say Thanks

After your events, check in with employees to see what they liked and what could be better. Share what you learned and how you'll use that feedback next time. And don't forget to thank everyone who took part and helped out. Celebrating your wins together helps build a stronger culture.

Supriya Gupta is a new mother and communications pro at Vantage Circle. She is passionate about sports, news, climate change, and the power of storytelling. For any related queries, contact editor@vantagecircle.com