47+ employee newsletter ideas for October 2024

October is downright spooky with opportunities to keep your employee newsletter fresh and engaging! But you won’t have to spend the entire fall season looking for topics to craft an impactful employee newsletter. We’ve done all the research and have compiled a list of holidays and observances happening in October, plus seasonal topics for your internal emails like Q4 goals and objectives, National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, Halloween costume contests, and more. Let’s dig in!

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Holidays & Observances | Seasonal Topics
Email Template | Tips & Tricks

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October 2024 holidays and observances

Bonus: Download this internal comms content calendar to help you organize your content and messaging so you can communicate with your employees and drive engagement.

Note: Some of these days hold special cultural and/or religious significance or are observances of sensitive topics, so if you choose to refer to them in your employee newsletters, remember to be thoughtful, intentional, and considerate. Holidays + observances are listed in alphabetical order.

Daily holidays and observances in October

October 1: International Coffee Day (place a bag of coffee beans on employee’s desks or invest in a new coffee brewing system for the office! ☕), International Music Day, World Vegetarian Day
October 2: International Day of Non-Violence, National Custodian Recognition Day
October 3: World Financial Planning Day
October 4: Improve Your Office Day, National Cinnamon Roll Day, National Golf Lovers Day, National Taco Day, World Animal Day
October 5: Frugal Fun Day, National Do Something Nice Day, World Teachers’ Day
October 6: Inbox Zero Day, National Coaches Day, National Noodle Day, World Cerebral Palsy Day, World Smile Day
October 7: World Architecture Day
October 8: World Octopus Day
October 9: International Beer and Pizza Day, National Stop Bullying Day, World Habitat Day, World Post Day
October 10: World Mental Health Day
October 11: National Coming Out Day
October 12: National Chess Day, National Farmers Day, World Arthritis Day, World Sight Day
October 13: International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day, National M&M Day, National Train Your Brain Day
October 14: Indigenous Peoples’ Day,  National Dessert Day
October 15: Global Handwashing Day, National Cheese Curd Day, National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day, National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, Pharmacy Technician Day, White Cane Safety Day
October 16: Dictionary Day, Global Dignity Day, National Boss’s Day, National Fossil Day, National Sports Day, National Take Your Parents To Lunch Day, World Food Day, World Spine Day
October 17: National Pasta Day
October 18: National Mammography Day
October 19: National Fetch Day, National New Friends Day, Sweetest Day
October 20: International Chefs Day, International Day of the Air Traffic Controller, National Day of Writing, World Osteoporosis Day, World Statistics Day
October 21: Back to the Future Day, National Clean Your Virtual Desktop Day, National Pets for Veterans Day
October 22: International Stuttering Awareness Day
October 23: Event Organizers Day, National Boston Cream Pie Day, National Medical Assistants Day, National Paralegal Day
October 24: United Nations Day
October 25: International Artists Day, National I Care About You Day, World Opera Day
October 26: National Day of the Deployed, National Make a Difference Day, National Pumpkin Day (Host a pumpkin carving contest for the team!)
October 27: National Mentoring Day, World Day for Audiovisual Heritage, World Occupational Therapy Day
October 28: International Animation Day, National First Responders Day, National Immigrants Day
October 29: National Cat Day, World Psoriasis Day, World Stroke Day
October 30: National Checklist Day, National Treat Your Pet Day
October 31: Halloween, World Saving Day

Weekly holidays and observances in October

Mental Illness Awareness Week (October 6-12)
National Friends of the Library Week (October 13-19)
National Physician Assistants Week (October 6-12)
Red Ribbon Week (October 23-31)
Respiratory Care Week (October 20-30)
World Space Week (October 4-10)

Monthly holidays and observances in October

Adopt a Shelter Dog Month
ADHD Awareness Month
Aids Awareness Month
Bat Appreciation Month
Blindness Awareness Month
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Country Music Month
Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Down Syndrome Awareness Month
Emotional Awareness Month
Fair Trade Month
Family History Month
Filipino-American Heritage Month
German-American Heritage Month
Halloween Safety Month
Italian-American Heritage Month
LGBTQ+ History Month
National Animal Safety and Protection Month
National Apple Month
National Book Month
National Chili Month (Host a team chili cook-off!)
National Cybersecurity Awareness Month
National Dessert Month
National Disability Employment Awareness Month
National Pet Wellness Month
National Physical Therapy Month
National Pizza Month
National Work and Family Month
World Bullying Prevention Month

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Seasonal topics for employee newsletters in October

Q4 Goals & Objectives: October is the kickoff to the fourth quarter, so it’s time to set the course for a truly remarkable season! Keep your employees updated with communication about what’s to come, or use your newsletter to course-correct if the company isn’t entirely on track (so you can ensure you finish the year hitting your goals and KPIs)!

Halloween Costume Contest: One of the most celebrated holidays in October is Halloween! And what better way to celebrate than a costume contest with your team? Send an email announcement with details, rules and guidelines, judging criteria, and prizes. If you’ve held a company costume contest in the past, include photos from previous years to increase engagement!

Sip and celebrate with International Coffee Day: To celebrate International Coffee Day (October 1), consider sending out coffee-related recipes, recommendations, or gift cards to employees!

Bonus: With a tool like Workshop, you can utilize Merge tags to personalize your emails. Merge tags will allow you to sub in first names, job titles, or any custom property you can think of to personalize the text within your email. You can even add custom URLs to send individualized gift cards for International Coffee Day!

National Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Consider dedicating a section of your internal newsletter to raise awareness about cybersecurity best practices so your employees can protect themselves and the company from cyber threats. We like to include tips for password security, recognizing phishing attempts, and keeping your software up to date. 

Implement a mentoring program: National Mentoring Day (October 27) is perfect for announcing a new mentoring program. You can always scale up your program as you go, but getting it started is the first step in helping employees grow personally and professionally.

Open enrollment messages to employees: If your organization’s open enrollment period is coming up, consider dedicating a row or section in your October employee newsletter to open enrollment prep and reminders for your team! We’ve created a list of sample open enrollment email templates you can customize to fit your company’s needs! Plus, we’ve included a few recommended practices. 

Bonus: With a tool like Workshop, you can segment your internal audiences and send your employees personalized information about benefits and plans! Send messaging based on whether the employee’s chosen plan is changing or not. Or segment your audience by location! Employees in different locations may have different benefit offerings or providers.

Open enrollment email template
If you’re looking for inspiration for an open enrollment email, look no further! You can use this template as inspiration or use it directly in Workshop.

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Employee newsletter tips & tricks

• Create a branded experience: If you want to engage your employees via email, create a branded experience! An easy place to start is with your template design. Take a little extra care in how your information is laid out, the colors you’re using, your imagery, etc.. If you can match and reflect the company brand as much as possible, that’s where you get that “mixternal” win, that internal and external brand coming together.
• Visual Storytelling: Incorporate visuals like images, GIFs, and videos to make your newsletter visually appealing and more engaging.
• Track results of your emails: When it comes to improving your internal communications strategy, knowing the effectiveness of your internal emails is key! Measure your clicks, open rates, and which employees have (and haven’t read your email) to adjust your strategy and increase engagement. (You can do all this and more with a tool like Workshop.)
• Use internal newsletter software: A platform like Workshop allows you to create beautifully-designed emails, personalize your content (and audiences!), and measure the effectiveness of your campaigns through various analytics.

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Next steps:

Download our Internal Comms Editorial Calendar: This sample internal comms editorial calendar will help you organize your content and messaging so you can communicate with your employees and drive engagement. It’s simple, streamlined, and totally customizable for your company’s needs.