Workplace belonging may seem like a trend, but leaders of winning organizations know to prioritize it. They are aware that belonging is actually the secret to attracting, retaining, and cultivating top talent. More than an item to check off the to-do list, it’s about creating a work environment where every team member feels safe to contribute their ideas, take risks, and thrive.
Why belonging matters in the workplace
As a leader of your organization, why should belonging matter to you? Aside from making team members feel safe and welcome, which in itself is incredibly important, belonging is also the backbone of success–for the individual and the organization.
Picture a workplace where team members feel safe sharing innovative ideas and where diverse perspectives are celebrated as assets. When employees feel like they belong, they are more likely to:
- Engage with their tasks effectively
- Bring their best to work everyday, which has higher potential to spark creativity and innovation.
- Build stronger relationships with colleagues, leading to better teamwork, collaboration, and team commitment.
- Stay with an organization longer, reducing costly turnover.
When organizations fail to foster workplace belonging, team members can become unsatisfied, disengaged, and frustrated. Employees who don’t feel seen or heard are more likely to feel unsupported and to experience burnout. They are also much less likely to stay. High turnover is a costly problem for organizations. Not only is it expensive, but it disrupts team cohesion, slows progress, and creates an unsettling environment for everyone.
Belonging as a Strategic Framework in the Workplace
As the Othering & Belonging Institute (OBI) reminds us, true belonging involves not only inclusion but also the opportunity to actively shape the structures that impact one’s personal and professional life. Belonging, as defined by the OBI, is about creating mutual power, access, and opportunity within the workplace. This framework requires that leaders take a close look at the structures, systems, and cultures they’ve built in the workplace and ask themselves: “Are we giving every team member a meaningful voice? Are we empowering them to help shape their own future as well as the organization’s future?”
A foundational piece of the OBI is that belonging is built through co-creation of structures and cultures that invite everyone who wants to be included. In the workplace, this means working across generations, genders, socio-economic backgrounds, ethnicities, and races to create cultures that work for people. This, in turn, equips those people to work for the business.
In practice, the framework of workplace belonging requires:
- Listening carefully to the needs and expectations of team members at all levels, especially those historically excluded from decision-making.
- Building equitable systems that ensure opportunities for growth and advancement are accessible to all.
- Creating spaces where diverse perspectives are not just tolerated but encouraged and deemed essential to success.
Belonging shouldn’t be seen as a one-off initiative. It requires continuous examination of the structures, policies, and norms that may inadvertently exclude or disadvantage certain groups.
The ROI of Workplace Belonging
While workplace belonging has real life and ethical value, it is also a measurable advantage for organizations. Employees who feel valued and empowered tend to be more invested in their work. This in turn leads to higher productivity and greater innovation.
Organizations with high workplace belonging report:
- Increases in job performance
- Drops in turnover risk
- Reduction in sick days
DECEMBER EXECUTIVE FORUM
Bridging divides within and beyond our social groups begins with active listening and a genuine curiosity about differing perspectives. This endeavor can prove challenging, particularly when we hold strong beliefs and perceive others as threatening our viewpoints.
We invite you to join your executive peers for a thoughtful discussion on actionable strategies for building or dismantling bridges, as well as the discernment needed to navigate these critical decisions.
How to build your own workplace belonging strategy
If you are new to workplace belonging and are hoping to apply it to your own organization, start by asking yourself and your team these questions:
- How do current systems and structures support or hinder belonging?
- Whose voices are missing in decision-making processes?
- What steps can we take today to ensure every team member feels valued, heard, and empowered?
Crucial elements to include in your belonging strategy include:
- Cultivating mutual power and access
- Fostering open communication
- Investing in leadership development
- Celebrating diversity as a strength
- Measuring, assessing, and adapting accordingly
Ultimately, belonging is a way of ensuring that every team member has the tools, opportunities, and support they need to succeed. It’s about fostering engagement, which in turn fuels creativity, productivity, and innovation. When implemented successfully, belonging is one of the most powerful tools for driving success within an organization.
While creating a workplace where every member feels they truly belong isn’t easy, it is definitely worth the effort. If you are looking for assistance with putting together your own organization’s winning strategy, Corporate Compassion LLC is here to help.
About Corporate Compassion Project
Our mission is to create organizational change by transforming interpersonal relationships and using values as tools for success. We believe that organizations can solve their retention, productivity and profitability problems by unlocking the capacity of individual members to care and connect with each other. Contact us to discover how we can help boost profitability, improve your retention and build a position and fulfilling work environment!
