Employee belonging is a sense of being accepted and valued not just for your contributions, but also because of who you are. Feeling as though you belong manifests itself when you align with the larger group’s values and feel synergy between who you are and what the culture puts first.
How Inclusion and Belonging Intersect
Belonging is often lumped in with your diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. While diversity and inclusion are relatively well-known concepts among business leaders, belonging has received less attention despite being just as important.
Belonging is closely related to inclusion, which refers to the efforts made to bring about a sense of belonging. Inclusion is about making sure that everyone has access to the same resources and opportunities. An inclusive organizational culture presents no barriers to participation.
Belonging is the result of successful inclusion efforts. A culture of belonging provides a sense of community and connection to every employee. Belonging in action is about ensuring your people feel like they are part of something larger than themselves.
What Employee Belonging Looks Like
Knowing what belonging looks like can help you identify and measure it within your workforce.
You can see belonging in employee interactions. In meetings, for example, people who feel a sense of belonging will be more likely to display enthusiasm and interact with colleagues than employees who don’t feel accepted.
Some of the trends you already measure, like engagement and retention, can signal belonging, too. When employees feel a strong sense of belonging, for instance, they’re more engaged in their work and more committed to their organization. They’re also more likely to stay with the company longer.
Engagement in HR-led programs (such as onboarding, performance management, or mentorship) can also demonstrate belonging. The more people participate in those activities, the more likely they are to feel comfortable engaging with their colleagues, managers, and the culture at large.
How to Measure Employee Belonging
To track belonging, you should regularly ask employees for feedback through one-on-one meetings, focus groups, and scheduled surveys. Ask employees about their workplace experiences and what could be done to improve them. By regularly soliciting this feedback, you gain a better sense of whether you’ve successfully fostered belonging in the workplace.
Surveys are a popular option because they provide quantitative data you can analyze and share with leadership. Design objective surveys that assess how employees feel about their relationships with co-workers, sense of community within the workplace, and level of satisfaction with the work environment.
Observing employee behavior is another way to measure employee belonging. Look for signs of engagement, such as employees participating in company activities or volunteering for committees. Look for signs of disengagement, too, like an uptick in sick days, frequently starting late, or taking extended lunches. While those activities have many causes, they can prompt you to look deeper into your workers’ engagement levels.
Managers play an important role in watching out for behavior that could indicate a poor sense of belonging. Develop conversation prompts to help them assess their reports for belonging. Send regular push surveys to managers to collect and aggregate pertinent data.