The Importance of Belonging
Have you ever thought about the importance of belonging when it comes to both the wellbeing and efficiency of your employees?
If not, then you should do.
Social belonging is a fundamental human need, yet as much as 40% of workers say they feel isolated at work, and this figure is predicted to rise as an increasing number of people start working from home. This is despite the fact that UK businesses spend millions of pounds a year on diversity and inclusion training.
So, where are they going wrong, and more importantly, how can you ensure that your employees feel like they belong at work?
Let’s take a closer look.
Why do you need to ensure your employees feel like they belong?
If you are still not convinced of the importance of ensuring that your employees feel like they belong at work, then you may be interested to discover that a feeling of belonging is extrinsically linked to enhanced performance.
Think about it this way. If you didn’t feel invested in your business, both financially and emotionally, would you be willing to go the extra mile to help it succeed?
Probably not.
High belonging has been linked to an increase in job performance, a reduction in absenteeism, and a general improvement in overall employee wellbeing, all of which is good news for both you and your employees.
How can you ensure your employees feel like they belong?
Creating a workplace of belonging is not a quick process and is not something that can be achieved and then forgotten about. Making your employees feel like they belong requires an ongoing approach that needs to be adapted and evolved as and when necessary.
That being said, there are several techniques that you can adopt to help foster a feeling of belonging in your company. These include:
Asking for employee feedback
One of the simplest ways to make your team feel as though they belong, and make them feel like an individual rather than just a number, is by asking your employees for feedback about the inclusivity of your business to help identify any issues or areas in which you are lacking.
Make sure you take their feedback seriously and actively make changes where necessary.
Developing an effective recruitment strategy
Although this is not even half the battle when it comes to workplace belonging, making sure you are creating a diverse workforce can help to foster feelings of belonging and avoid people feeling excluded.
Creating a mentoring scheme
Once an employee starts to feel isolated and as though they don’t belong, it can be very hard to motivate that person again. However, if you suspect that one of your employees is not as involved in the business or with their colleagues as you would like, providing them with a mentor is a highly effective way to make them feel included again.
Regular diversity and inclusion training
More and more companies are understanding the importance of having a diverse workforce, with brands creating diversity and inclusion programs, establishing diversity task forces and even hiring diversity officers.
The right diversity and inclusion training can help to promote an inclusive environment within your business, reduce the risk of workplace discrimination, and ensure that everyone feels invested in the future of your business.
Here at Progress International, we create bespoke learning programmes that not only foster a culture of inclusion, but more also ensure your employees feel a strong sense of belonging at work.
Plus, all our programmes can be facilitated virtually or in person, meaning you can undertake them from the office or in the comfort of your own home.
If you would like to explore how we can help you to develop your culture, then get in touch with us here today.
