How the 5 pillars of belonging can create a culture of connection at work
What鈥檚 more human than the desire to belong?
Wanting to feel like part of the group is a fundamental human need, so it鈥檚 no surprise finding and maintaining connection at work has an on things like retention, performance and employee well-being.
Although most employees want to make more these connections at work, if a culture of belonging isn鈥檛 present鈥攏ot to mention the additional barriers posed by hybrid set-ups鈥攖he kinds of friendships that can have positive impacts often remain just out of reach. Enter the : to facilitate and (re)build these important relationships.
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David Bator, Director of the Achievers Workforce Institute, shares why companies need to care about fostering belonging and how to bring 5 identified pillars鈥攚elcomed, known, included, supported and connected鈥攖o life within your organization.
The business case of belonging
Achievers Workforce Institute defines belonging as 鈥渁n experience of connection, security, community.鈥 How does this look in the context of the workplace?
Like being at home without reservation regardless of who you are, the job you do, how long you鈥檝e been doing it or where, according to Bator.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a word that we鈥檝e seen rightly attached to diversity, equity and inclusion but our research shows that belonging is actually an outcome of investment in those areas,鈥 he explained during a . 鈥淭he broader view is that belonging can be the tie that binds the whole employee experience together.鈥
And when done right, it works. found companies that invest in fostering a strong sense of belonging see a 3x return on business outcomes like productivity, engagement and job commitment. But while every good leader might want to help their people feel comfortable and confident at work, these goals don鈥檛 always make the priority list when budgets are tight and staffing is strained.
It’s time for this to change. Organizations are responsible for protecting the employee experience鈥攃reating and maintaining the conditions that make great work and employee engagement possible.
As Bator put it: 鈥淎s we face record levels of resignation and labor shortages, the business case for belonging is to build employee programs that attend to the 5 pillars because they鈥檙e the best way to attract and retain the talent that your business needs to perform.鈥
Pillar 1: Welcomed
For a new hire, understanding a company鈥檚 culture before getting into the nitty gritty of the job through training is a critical success factor.
鈥淭oday, organizations are welcoming new people into the mix that may have never interacted with a colleague shoulder-to-shoulder before,鈥 theorized Bator. 鈥淚 recently spoke to an executive who said 55% of their staff in critical customer-facing roles were hired in the last 12 months.鈥
Going beyond the standard onboarding path can help people feel like they鈥檙e part of a team from the very beginning.
鈥淥ur research shows that employees who feel warmly welcomed are twice as likely to feel that sense of belonging,鈥 he continued. 鈥淏ut when I think about welcoming an employee in the broader context of belonging, I argue that it鈥檚 not about the first days, weeks or months. It鈥檚 about every day.鈥
The trick is for managers and organizations to create the conditions that continue to give every interaction and space colleagues share that warm, day-1 feeling.
Pillar 2: Known
In the , engaging employees means meeting them where they are.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a shift from policies to principles. When it comes to being known, it鈥檚 about embracing our people as the whole people that they are,鈥 said Bator. 鈥淎t work, many of us are asked to perform a function but we鈥檙e more than our roles. At home, we鈥檙e coaches. Caregivers. Parents. Partners.鈥
Employees should feel encouraged to bring their whole selves to work and rewarded for doing so, which might look different in practice for every single person.
鈥淪ome people want to be recognized in ways that are both personal and professional. For some, it may be the opportunity to share institutional knowledge. Others, sharing their pronouns that reflect their identities. It鈥檚 tough for managers and leaders but thankfully the era for one-size-fits-all is over.鈥
Pillar 3: Included
Inclusion and trust go hand-in-hand but only report having strong trust in their company leaders. What鈥檚 missing?
鈥淒ata aside, when you speak to individual employees, they want to be involved and their voices to be heard,鈥 said Bator. 鈥淭hey want to be connected to the mission and vision of the organization, and their colleagues. These things are the secret ingredients to employee engagement and experience everybody wonders about.鈥
鈥淲hat builds trust is a commitment of two different forms; one, to involve employees in the co-creation of the employee experience and two, to act on the feedback employees provide.鈥
Neither of these conditions are met when only 32% of workers feel heard, which our recent Retail Deskless Report research uncovered. Clearly, there鈥檚 still a lot of work to do here but there are solutions at-hand.
Pillar 4: Supported
Companies’ employee development doesn鈥檛 only fall on the shoulders of the formal functions associated with HR and L&D departments. Managers also have enormous influence over their team鈥檚 ability to perform, explore opportunities and access support.
鈥淥ur research shows when you have a supportive manager, you鈥檙e nearly three times as likely to feel that you belong. Support comes down to the meaningful and consistent development of employees during their tenure with the organization,鈥 offered Bator.
Where does an employee see their career heading with your company? While it鈥檚 up to the organization to provide the development programming to get them there, individuals need to be the ones to take action鈥攁nd they need their managers to remove the obstacles in their way. Support is a shared responsibility.
Pillar 5: Connected
Technology can address the need for connection in the workplace, but Bator suggested most organizations aren鈥檛 getting the tech-enabled employee experience right.
鈥淭ools can often do more to fragment us than they can to connect us. Forbes published a couple years back that found the average employee was losing 30 days a year of productivity to context switching. The opportunity isn鈥檛 to stack tools but to meet employees within their flow of work.鈥
Instead of falling for the hype of every new tech drop and layering tools upon tools, focus on the true goal of innovations that connect: giving employees simplified access to the resources, people and skills they need to be productive from anywhere.
Explore the other ways belonging at work drive performance by watching .