How to create a sense of belonging in the hybrid workplace.
Belongingness is the human emotional need to be an accepted member of a group. Belonging is the feeling of security and support when there is a sense of acceptance and inclusion. It may be difficult to articulate the details and nuances in words but we have all felt it at some point in our lives - that feeling of, I belong here, with these people. Likewise, many of us have walked into a room and had the exact opposite feeling - and our gut reaction is always to look for the nearest escape route!
But belonging is so much more than a ‘nice to have’ feeling. It is a critical business success factor that many are neglecting and it’s costing businesses both talent and profits. If you feel you truly belong you are able to bring you whole self / your authentic self to the situation so you can experience real connections. When belonging is intentionally fostered in the workplace, employees feel accepted and connected with each other around a shared sense of purpose. A sense of belonging creates energy and momentum. Productivity and innovation increase and turnover and burnout decrease. Sounds like a win win right?
According to a recent Harvard Business Review article, a high sense of belonging has been shown to increase job performance by 56%, reduce turnover risk by 50% and decrease sick days by 75% - which for a 10,000 person company can add up to an annual savings of more than $52 million. Yet, according to an Ernst and Young study, approximately 40% of American’s feel physically and emotionally isolated in the workplace.
“Diversity is a fact. Equity is a choice. Inclusion is an action. Belonging is an outcome”
So, we know belonging is important and we know not everyone is experiencing it. We also know that the way we work and connect has been turned upside down as a result of a global pandemic! At a time when most office spaces feel deserted, we’re all suffering from zoom fatigue and no one can remember the last time we had any kind of social work event, how on earth do we nurture a culture of belonging?
Here are 8 practical steps you can take today, to help you create a sense of belonging in a hybrid workplace.
Don’t play the short game, focus on the long term rewards
It’s much easier to hire a team member that you know will just fit in. But from a diversity and inclusion perspective, fitting in, is the opposite to belonging! Fitting in, is a short term win but it has a long term cost. Fitting in, often comes at the cost of being your authentic self. Second guessing what you should wear, how you should speak, changing your hair, even changing your own name, all takes energy away from your creativity and productivity.
Hiring from the perspective of a cultural fit is short hand for ‘this new hire is a carbon copy of what we already have’. There is no diversity of thought in this scenario, simply a tribe of like minded people. And if that’s your ultimate goal, then you do you my friend, but know the trade off for this is diversity of thought and innovation.
Instead of hiring from a cultural fit perspective, hire from a cultural add-on perspective, ensuring that whoever joins adds something new to the team. Yes, creating and nurturing the development of diverse teams absolutely takes more effort short term. But when we realise we have the freedom to be our authentic selves, when we know we can speak our truth and the value we add is acknowledged and rewarded - wow the return on that short term investment is off the scale.
Use your values to join the dots
So if we don’t want teams of clones, and we don’t want people to simply fit in, but we’re not all in one place at the same time…how on earth do we connect with one another?
The answer is we use our values to join the dots. Value lead organisations are more successful at creating belonging cultures. And I don’t mean organisations that have their values written on the walls, I mean the ones that bring their values to life. Organisations that understand their WHY, have a clear sense of purpose, are transparent and model inclusive leadership, create what feels like an energy field that connects everyone and brings everyone along for the ride.
We can be part of a team of diverse people, with different ways of working, different personalities, different skill set, but if we share the same values we will be aligned on our true north, we will have enough touching points to keep us connected even if we are never in the same room.
Be intentional about bringing everyone into the conversation
This is very different from simply letting everyone speak for the sake of it. This is about listening and valuing different perspectives. Be transparent about how decisions are made. In a hybrid work environment you may meet with some people face to face, and connect with others via video calls. This needs to remain a level playing field. It may well be easier to ask for input on a decision from a colleague who’s in the building but this creates bias in your decision making process. Take a moment to ask yourself two things, 1) are making a decision based on convenience rather than expertise, and 2) if you exclude people from this decision making process how will it effect their sense of belonging.
Don’t get me wrong, not everybody needs to be involved in every decision! In fact, I’m pretty sure I only really need to go to about 10% of the meetings I’m asked to attend. But as far as hybrid working and belonging goes - be mindful - be intentional about who you invite to meetings, or to make decisions, be transparent about how decisions will be made, and if you do invite someone, be prepare to listen to their opinion, because you invited them for a reason!
Check ins and connection points
We all have those ‘friends’ that only get in touch when they need something from you. Don’t be that person at work. Find the time to connect with colleagues simply because it’s nice to connect. It’s not that we need to be friends with our work colleagues, we can keep our private life and work life separate, but connections are important. Despite what many companies want us to believe, we are not human resources, we are human beings. Dropping someone a quick message to let them know you valued their contribution during a meeting, or you really like the way they delivered a presentation, or you were talking to someone else earlier and the conversation landed on a topic that I think would be of interest to you….no power play, no ulterior motive, simply let someone know you see them.
Roughly 39% of respondents in a belonging barometer study said they felt the greatest sense of belonging and inclusion when their colleagues checked in with them, personally and professionally.
Empower people to be their authentic selves
According to LinkedIn 47% of professionals who are proud of where they work say it’s because the company has a positive culture where they can be themselves.
Working from home, challenged the norm of what’s considered “professional work attire.” Whether someone is taking a client call from their kitchen table in a tracksuit or taking the meeting in the office in a suit, their billable hours are the same! Your workforce is likely made up of people of different races/ethnicities, ages, religions, and gender identities. Respect these difference, whether it’s a woman wearing a hijab or dreadlocks to work. Allow them to show up as their true selves, not a watered-down version of it. This also starts with the leaders at the top.
Nurture ownership and trust
If you have team members working in different locations meaning you can’t ‘see’ them all the time, you are going to have to trust them. And here’s the thing, trust is a much needed ingredient for a belonging culture. Micro-management on the other hand is not!
As we continue to transition into new ways of working we need to adapt processes along the way. Consider allowing people who have been in their job role for a certain number of years, the opportunity to re-write their job descriptions, based on how they think they can best contribute to the company’s overarching goals and objectives.
It’s a great way to show that you trust and value your employees’ insight. Plus, it allows you to change job descriptions to better fit people — not change people to better fit job descriptions — which can potentially help increase engagement.
Encourage Employee-led communities
Employee-led communities bring together individuals with similar backgrounds or interests. This could include Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion groups, Employee Resource Groups (parents, veterans, environmental, etc.), or even wellness groups (walking groups, etc.).
Employee-led communities are a great way to nurture belonging and remember a belonging culture is good for business, so here’s the deal - invest in these groups in order to invest in your bottom line! Support employee-led communities by giving people the resources they need to establish and run them. I mean let’s go crazy and go as far as giving everyone two hours a week to simply connect with colleagues!
These groups can help people make meaningful connections within their own organization or beyond it through networking, mentorship and personal or professional development opportunities. Look at it as an ongoing investment, not a box to check.
Ask for feedback and share stories
At the start of this article I explained that belonging is something we feel and that it can often be hard to but into words. What works for one person may not work for another, so how will we know if we’re doing it right? Asking direct questions often results in rather closed answers. Do you feel you belong here? Invites the respondent to answer with a yes or a no. Instead try “how did you feel that meeting went? Did you feel you had a chance to share your opinion?” , “What’s been a highlight of your week this week?”, “Have you had a chance to connect with anyone outside the project team?”.
Knowing that you want to create a belonging culture is honestly the first step. So the fact that you’re reading this article, show’s you are on the right path my friend. If you have any questions or comments, please drop me an email. I’d love to hear examples of organisations that have nurtured belonging in the hybrid workplace. And if you’re looking for specific support developing a belonging culture then please book a free discovery call.
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