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January 2026 Dates for Employee Communications

January 2026 Dates for Employee Communications

by Julie Ferguson
December 30, 2025 in Holidays, Tools, Work Life issues

Looking for tools and information for January 2026 dates and events that you can use in your employee communications? Check out our suggestions! We offer helpful links tools, resources, and sponsor sites.  

New Year’s Day – Celebrated on the first day of the year, January 1 is a holiday and, for many, a bookend to a season of holidays. In the U.S. and many other countries, people ring in the new year at midnight with fireworks and people around the world celebrate with various New Year’s Day traditions. It’s also rather customary for people to set self-improvement goals in the form of New Year’s resolutions. See our discussion and suggestions for growth-oriented, positive resolutions for the new year in our January 2026 newsletter. If you are among those who make resolutions, your EAP can help!

Related:

Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 20 – The King Center says: “the King Holiday Observance calls us to reflect, rejoice, and recommit, to honor the enduring legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the transformative power of his vision … In 2026, we gather under the strategic theme: Mission Possible II: Building Community, Uniting a Nation the Nonviolent Way.”  The King Center leads the charge to provide education and training in Nonviolence365. Check the link for a schedule of events leading up to and on the date. Also note that January 20, 2026 is observed as National Day of Service, encouraging us all to make it a “Day On, Not a Day Off,” honoring the life and legacy of Dr. King through volunteering in our local communities.

National Blood Donor Month – A single blood donation can help to save multiple lives.The site says:

“From one unit of blood, red blood cells can be extracted and used to treat patients who lost blood due to trauma or those who are recovering from surgery. Plasma, the liquid part of blood, is typically administered to patients with requiring treatment to improve blood clotting. Platelets, a third component, clot the blood when cuts or other open wounds occur, and are often used in the treatment of patients with cancer or those undergoing organ transplants. Finally, cryoprecipitated anti-hemophilic factor (AHF) is also used for clotting factors.”

The holiday season is typically a time of reduced donations so January is a good month to remind people of the importance of donating blood. Donors say that giving blood makes them feel good about themselves, supports their local communities and hospitals, supports, and “pays back” society for the times when they or their families have needed blood transfusions in the past. Use this tool to find blood donation centers near you. Also, check out this helpful list of frequently asked questions about blood donation.

National Mentoring Month – Why is mentoring so important? Youth with a mentor are:

  • 92% more likely to volunteer regularly in their communities.
  • 75% more likely to have held a leadership position in a club or sports team.
  • 22% more likely to have experienced a strong sense of belonging while growing up.
  • 74% of those who had a meaningful mentor say that person contributed significantly to their success later in life.
  • 85% of young people with a mentor say this key relationship has helped them with issues related to school and their education.
  • 58% of young people say their mentor has supported their mental health.
  • 60% of those under 40 years old are still drawing advice from their childhood mentors.

The site has many excellent resources and tool kits for both mentors and mentees. Check out the kit on Becoming a Better Mentor: Strategies to Be There for Young People.

Other January key dates and observances

 

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