How To Create a Sense of Belonging at Work
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Our desire to belong is innate and valid. A greater sense of belonging aids in retention, well-being, burnout prevention and more. Employers need to do a better job of creating a sense of belonging at work for all their employees, especially in the post-pandemic world. Two experts share their first-hand thoughts on the matter.
There’s something brilliant and liberating about being able to bring our most authentic selves to work every day. It gives us a little extra push to get out of bed in the morning, put our best foot forward and truly feel like we belong within our workplace and among coworkers.
On the other hand, working in an environment where you’re constantly on edge and uncomfortable is a surefire path to imminent resignation, desperate job searching and potential resentment.
And while work shouldn’t be the center of our universe, it certainly doesn’t hurt to find some sense of enjoyment in what we do and where we do it … if we’re able to.
That’s exactly why creating a sense of belonging at work is necessary for any organization or employer hoping to promote a more positive workplace and attract phenomenal talent.
The pandemic and Great Resignation gave current employees and job seekers the power of choice and leverage. As professionals, we no longer have to settle. We can be pickier about where we take our skills, time and, ultimately, ourselves.
Now more than ever, employers seeing the most talent retainment and attraction are those actively adopting, building and creating better cultures for their employees. According to Joe Burton, the Great Resignation is also a “Great Re-evaluation,” especially as workforces shift to remote settings and workers call out poorly aligned corporate culture.
“Every organization needs to understand that workers today are looking at their relationships with their employers differently. In turn, you should look at your relationship with your employees and your positioning in the marketplace,” he wrote.
Most employees won’t hesitate anymore to leave a toxic workplace in search of actual fulfillment and belonging. The current job market is made for workers, so companies and organizations need to adjust accordingly.
If you’re an organization either struggling with turnover or just wanting to better support your employees, two fellow LinkedIn members have some great insight into how to create a sense of belonging at work.
Why people want a sense of belonging
Employees and job seekers do better when they feel as if they belong. They want to see an actual future at their place of work and are no longer only satisfied with perks or benefits. Perks are not cutting it anymore and haven’t for a long time.
Wanting to have a sense of belonging and actually belong is innate.
Megan Wendholt, chief of staff at Deksia, sheds light on the reason people seek and want a sense of belonging, specifically within companies and work environments.
“Humans inherently want a community and a sense of belonging. They want to know that they are surrounded by other humans working toward similar goals; whether those goals be success for a client, a positive culture, growing talent, etc,” she says.
“More specifically, Millennials and Gen Z-ers desire even more so to be more than just a ‘cog in the system.’ They want to know that their work is impactful and that it is contributing to a greater purpose.”
Wendholt says a great way for companies and employers to clearly demonstrate the impact a prospective employee will make within the company (or community) is through their website, career pages and during interviews.
Importance of a sense of belonging within the workplace
By creating a sense of belonging, companies can bring out the best in their employees.
“An organization full of employees who believe they belong is an organization full of employees who feel purposeful, inspired and alive —in other words, engaged. And these engaged employees are more productive and better performers,” according to Gallup.
Engagement is so integral to helping employees produce fantastic results, strive for success, stay motivated and reaffirm the main reason they started working with the organization in the first place.
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Additionally, diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) initiatives, teams and departments play a major role in creating inclusive spaces and greater sense of belonging. If your organization only caters to a certain demographic or type of employee, others become alienated and left out.
As remote and hybrid work continues to rise, belonging will continue to play a big role in the fight for inclusion. Members of remote workforces may fall through the cracks, miss out on in-person connections or quietly fade away into the background.
Sense of belonging has to be applied to all employees, no matter where they work. Technology is a wonderful tool that has been helping many companies across the globe keep their employees connected and in the know.
Allyson Dylan Robinson, director of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging at Cruise, also speaks to how feelings of belonging and connection drive retention, which is a major post-pandemic concern.
“Belonging drives retention. All the recent data is showing it's that feeling of connection to our colleagues and our companies that keeps employees from taking their talents elsewhere, more so than benefits or even compensation,” she explains. “So if retention is important to your business, belonging has to be a priority.”
Wendholt adds, based on her experiences and practices at Deskia, a sense of belonging leads to trust-building across the organization, from fellow team members to leadership. More open and vulnerable conversation can occur, leading to:
Creating a sense of belonging at work
As you begin your move towards creating a sense of belonging for all employees within your workforce, remember that every industry, employee and organization is different.
The tips provided by our experts are not “one size fits all” and may not apply to your workforce. As a company or leader, it’s your responsibility to do the research, gather employee feedback and examine what belonging looks like within your particular organization.
“Building a culture that nurtures a sense of belonging for all means understanding how different employees experience your culture,” warns Robinson. “Are women having a different cultural experience at your company than men? Do Black or Latinx employees report different levels of engagement, inclusion, or trust?”
“Designing a culture without knowing the answers to questions like these will always produce lackluster results and always leave some people out.”
I asked our two experts to share some tips for creating a sense of belonging within your workplace. Their advice is summarized below:
The Harvard Business Review recently shared a Google-sponsored white page titled “Beyond Employee Well-Being: Creating a Sense of Belonging in the Workplace”. It’s an additional tool for employers trying to create a better employee experience and culture.
And finally, “Don’t force it”, warns Wendholt. Employees and job seekers will be able to tell if a company’s culture is authentic or just for show.
“If managers and the leadership team show a genuine desire to bond with their team, that will trickle down and other team members will feel comfortable prioritizing work relationships, honesty, and vulnerability in their day-to-day.”
Top Takeaways
Creating a sense of belonging at work is key to employee retention and well-being
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2yI do belong@ my current work. I love my work family and its part time , so i am able to do other things as i feel led to. We are a compatible crew. Everybody works togther💕 three of us lost family members in the last year so we’re all there for one another. Treat others as youd like to be treated and go the extra mile if somebody needs a hand. Kindness costs nothing but ones time. And people know when they are cared about.