Creating a workplace where every individual feels valued and supported is essential for organisational success. While Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives have long been a priority for many companies, adding the ‘B’ for Belonging is now recognised as key to achieving lasting impact.
We’re excited to partner with HR World to explore why ‘belonging’ should be at the heart of any DEIB strategy. In this blog, we’ll discuss the importance of ensuring every individual feels they have a ‘place’ within the business and provide actionable strategies to implement belonging in your workplace.
What is DEIB?
DEIB stands for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, with the ‘B’ for Belonging being an often overlooked, yet crucial element. In our webinar, Belonging: The Next Frontier in Promoting Thriving Workplaces, Dr. Aleen Bayard explains why belonging isn’t just a subset of inclusion, as many might assume. There’s a significant difference between being included and truly feeling like you have a “place” within the company.
Here’s how we define the four key principles of DEIB:
- Diversity refers to the presence and acknowledgment of a wide range of differences within an environment, including race, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, religion, and other characteristics. A diverse workplace celebrates these varied perspectives, recognising that they contribute to a richer, more dynamic organisational culture.
- Equity is about ensuring fairness by giving individuals access to the resources and opportunities they need to succeed, tailored to their unique circumstances. Unlike equality, which treats everyone the same, equity recognises that different people may require different forms of support to achieve similar outcomes, addressing systemic barriers and levelling the playing field.
- Inclusion goes beyond merely having diverse individuals in a business. It’s the active process of valuing and respecting diverse perspectives, ensuring that everyone has a voice. In an inclusive environment, diverse viewpoints are sought, heard, and appreciated.
- Belonging is the emotional experience of feeling accepted and valued within a community or company. It is the sense that an individual’s authentic self is welcomed, respected, and essential to the team’s success. When people feel they belong, they are more engaged, contribute meaningfully, and develop stronger connections, driving the success of the organisation as a whole.
It’s helpful to view DEIB principles as an interconnected ecosystem, where each element depends on the others. Belonging cannot be achieved without an inclusive environment, just as diversity cannot thrive without intentional inclusion. Equity makes sure that all individuals have the resources and opportunities to feel they truly belong, creating a foundation where each principle strengthens the others.
The Benefits of Cultivating a Culture of Belonging
Creating a culture of belonging in your business brings a range of benefits, such as:
- Improving employee recognition
- Sparking inspiration and creativity
- Increasing work efficiency and productivity
- Boosting morale and employee satisfaction
- Supporting employee mental health and wellbeing
- Combatting employee absenteeism
- Increasing employee retention
- Raising your organisation’s reputation
- Attracting top talent
- Generating new business leads
- Achieving company targets
What’s more, a recent Deloitte study found that ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) offers a company a 46% increase in competitive advantage.’ So, what are you waiting for? Get ahead of the curve by implementing DEIB strategies to benefit both your employees and business.
Strategies for Implementing a Sense of ‘Belonging’ in the Workplace
Keen to achieve a sense of belonging for every individual within your organisation? Here are our top tips on how to make each individual feel like they belong…
1.) Start By Improving Your Hiring Process
To achieve true DEIB, it’s crucial to make sure diverse talent has a fair chance from the very beginning. According to Harvard Business Review, even employers committed to diversity and inclusion may unknowingly have biases in their hiring practices. A survey by Applied revealed that 37% of younger workers (ages 16-34) experienced bias during recruitment, while the Recruitment & Employment Confederation found that 61.7% of employers do not use diverse interview panels. These factors can negatively affect candidates’ sense of belonging, making them feel excluded or unwelcome right from the start.
Unconscious bias can influence hiring at every stage, from job descriptions to interviews. To counteract this, adopt strategies like blind recruitment (anonymising candidate details) and structured interviews (using standardised questions for all candidates). Additionally, training hiring managers to recognise and reduce bias can ensure a fairer, more inclusive process, helping you build a diverse, innovative team.
2.) Create a Supportive & Proactive Workplace Culture
Cultivating a positive workplace culture is key to building a strong sense of belonging. When employees feel supported and appreciated, they are more motivated to succeed. Dr. Bayard emphasises the importance of creating an environment where employees feel safe to be vulnerable, seek help, and build trust and connection with one another.
Central to this is the role of emotional intelligence and psychological safety. Emotional intelligence enables individuals to give and receive feedback in a constructive, healthy manner, creating a culture of open communication. Integrating gratitude into performance reviews and offering thoughtful ongoing feedback reinforces employees’ sense of value.
Psychological safety is equally important. When employees feel psychologically safe, they are more likely to speak up and share their thoughts without fear of judgment or negative consequences. This openness encourages authentic self-expression and the sharing of diverse perspectives.
Lastly, employee recognition, whether through large achievements or small gestures, plays a crucial role in maintaining high morale and further strengthening the sense of belonging within the team.
3.) Offer a ‘Valued Place’ at the table
The experts at Forbes point out that “it’s not enough to just hire those with new and varied perspectives. Diversity in and of itself doesn’t accomplish much.” In other words, having a diverse team is only half the battle. Leaders must make certain that every employee, regardless of their title, has the opportunity to have their voice heard.
Dr. Bayard emphasises that simply allowing employees to speak up or giving them a seat at the table is not enough. If their opinions are ignored or dismissed, it feels like shouting into a void, pointless and demotivating. For employees to feel truly heard and that they belong, their ideas must be acknowledged, valued, and fairly considered.
4) Regular Check-Ins
Regular check-ins are essential to preventing employees from disengaging and ensuring they feel a strong sense of belonging. In our ‘Belonging’-focused webinar, Dr. Bayard highlights how check-ins play a crucial role in promoting belonging, engagement, and inclusion, explaining that “Across all generations, when we check in with people, it makes a difference.”
According to a study by Ernst & Young, 39% of respondents reported that when colleagues check in with them, both personally and professionally, they feel the greatest sense of belonging at work, even more so than when receiving formal feedback.
While 360-degree review and surveys are valuable for addressing professional matters, it’s important not to overlook the personal aspect. Regular 1-on-1 meetings, impromptu catch-ups, and performance reviews all provide opportunities for employees to feel truly seen and heard, strengthening their sense of belonging within the team.
5) Invite Upward Feedback
Embracing upward feedback, encourages transparency and responsiveness. When employees feel their voices are heard, it boosts engagement and contributes to a more inclusive workplace, strengthening their sense of belonging.
Understanding what your employees specifically want is key to success. A “one size fits all” approach won’t work. That’s why it’s essential to regularly seek feedback and make adjustments based on your employees’ needs. This ongoing dialogue helps leaders understand what employees truly need and how to improve company culture. By aligning with staff preferences, leaders can create an environment where everyone feels respected, included, and part of the team.
6) Metrics & Tracking
Tracking and analysing relevant data is key to assessing the success of your DEIB initiatives, as it provides insights into how effectively your strategies are cultivating a culture of belonging within the company.
One important metric is the employee advancement rate. This tracks how employees are progressing within your organisation, and comparing professional development rates across different employee groups helps assess whether all employees have equal opportunities to advance and feel included within the team.
Another key area is initiative-focused metrics. By setting specific SMART Goals for your DEIB initiatives and assigning metrics to each, you can track progress, identify areas for improvement, and adjust efforts to confirm that a sense of belonging is being supported effectively. Additionally, focusing on demographic data can help pinpoint any disparities in belonging and advancement. This allows for targeted efforts to ensure that all employees feel valued and included.
7) Be Intentional
Dr. Bayard’s final but crucial point is the importance of intentionally embedding these competencies and behaviours into your broader HR and talent development strategies. It’s not just about promoting belonging in isolated actions; it needs to be integrated into everyday practices.
Pay attention to the conversations you’re having around performance; what are you measuring, what are you hiring for, and what are you celebrating? Leaders should ensure that employees who embody these behaviours feel recognised and rewarded.
Be deliberate in cultivating deeper team relationships and creating an inclusive, purposeful experience for all employees, regardless of their title. When belonging is built into the very fabric of your organisational processes, it makes certain that everyone feels appreciated and part of the team.
Building a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace goes beyond policies and programs; it requires a foundation of trust, where employees feel genuinely valued and respected. Belonging, the cornerstone of a positive organisational culture, is essential for strengthening this trust.
While the journey toward full DEIB is ongoing, each step you take toward nurturing belonging will strengthen your business. By leading with intention and embedding DEIB principles into everyday practices, you pave the way for a workplace where every individual can thrive.
Ready to take the next step in promoting a culture of belonging within your team? Explore how adding emPerform to your HR Toolkit can help integrate ongoing feedback and performance management to ensure every employee feels valued, heard, and included.
Book a FREE demo with emPerform today or contact us for any advice on performance management.
Recent Posts