Finding your Space: Fostering belonging in the Workplace

Social connection is so fundamental to the human psyche that we can even bond with strangers over the very experience of not having anyone with whom to connect. Belongingness is a fundamental human need. Many people claim that they feel isolated at their workplace, which has often resulted in lower organisational commitment and employee engagement, and an overall suboptimal employee experience.

Exclusion is harmful because it can feel like physical pain. Most of us have likely experienced this at some point in our life. Feeling left out is a deeply human experience, which is why it carries such weight and why its causes are difficult to root out even in healthy workplaces. If you’re working with a group of people, the loneliness of not feeling like you fit in can be overwhelming.

When you feel comfortable being yourself at work and feel like you’re in an inclusive workplace, you won’t need to worry so much about your relationships with your colleagues and you can focus more on the job in front of you. Feeling like part of a team can make you feel more confident, increase your performance, and help achieve a better work experience. Employees who feel a sense of belonging and inclusiveness at work are more likely to contribute to their full potential. When you bring that feeling of belonging to an entire organisation, it’s also good for the bottom line. High sense of employee belonging has been found to improve job performance, reduce employee turnover, and lower absenteeism, which can save companies millions annually. But what does “belonging” actually mean?

Elements of belonging in the workplace include being seen for your unique and special talents, having a connection to the people who work with you, feeling supported in your daily work and career advancement by both coworkers and management as well as feeling connection and pride in your organisation’s values and purpose which creates a larger sense of meaning.

What can leaders do to build a company culture of belonging in the workplace?

Leaders who foster belonging through an inclusive company culture often have their teams producing great work because they feel valued and supported. Employees who think they have allies in the company tend to be more confident in making decisions and speaking their minds. Company leadership acts as a foundation for establishing a high sense of what its organisational culture stands for. This is done through a number of factors including:

• having senior leaders who are good role models and having employees feel they have a lot in common with senior leaders
• holding employees accountable for breaking company policies, regardless of position or performance, and there are straightforward, trusted methods in place to report them
• celebratory events are regularly scheduled and budgeted for
• creating environments for employees to be seen and heard, including diversifying leadership and embedd­ing diversity and inclusion into initiatives such as succession planning
• ensuring senior leadership creates an inclusive environment for an organisation by embodying its values, listening to all voices, expressing transparency about their own beliefs, and demonstrating empathy towards others
• having senior leaders praise their employees’ work, give them regular, honest feedback so they can improve their work, respond to employee concerns when they come up, publicly credit employees for contributing something worthwhile, and empower team members to take ownership over their own work

When we feel a strong sense of belonging and inclusion, it can help us to create a more meaningful and fulfilling life. It makes us feel connected to something larger than ourselves. That’s why, even though money is a good motivator for some employees when deciding whether to stay or leave their jobs, for some other people, belonging and attachment to coworkers is a better motivator. If companies want to create a robust and healthy business they cannot afford to ignore the impact of creating a sense of belonging.

What can employees do to contribute to a culture of belonging in the workplace?

• It can be difficult to fit in or “belong” at work when you already feel like an outsider. You may have developed misguided beliefs about yourself that make you feel like an outsider. It’s important to evaluate your thoughts so you can recognise how and why you feel a certain way. Inner work can help us discover hidden beliefs that keep us feeling separated from others and it can also help us create new beliefs that can help us feel more connected to others.
• If we’re honest with ourselves, we often create a gap between ourselves and our team by criticising them. Feeling inadequate can lead people to isolating themselves from others, making teamwork much harder. Accepting yourself unconditionally and practicing self-love can help you integrate into the group.
• Try to foster belonging in other communities, like a volunteering group or something like a sporting or hobby group. Feeling welcomed and accepted by one group makes you much more likely to feel welcomed and accepted by others. When we feel isolated, we may overlook opportunities to create a sense of community. If you want to feel more welcome and included at work, reach out to a coworker, attend a team event or volunteer for something. You can even be the one to encourage your team to have an event together.

Here are some other ways employees can help foster belonging in their teams:

• providing timely and accurate feedback to colleagues on their performance
• praise and thank colleagues for their work when warranted
• be open and honest with your colleagues about your working relationship
• respecting their co-workers’ commitments outside of work by supporting each person’s work-life balance and limiting work interactions to within office hours

Employee belonging not only affects employee well-being and happiness, but it affects engagement, motivation, retention, and productivity too.

Need help planning your corporate wellness program?

We can survey your employees, create customisable wellness programs that fit your employees and deliver wellness content to empower your employees to live a better and healthier live collectively and seamlessly. Learn more about the PUML Corporate Wellness Program.

About PUML Better Health

PUML Better Health is one of the original Web3, Move-to-Earn, Fitness and Wellness company from Gold Coast, Australia. PUML specialises in the Move-To-Earn industry, where users can get rewarded with their cryptocurrency token $PUMLx on the Ethereum blockchain for completing health challenges such as steps and meditation. PUML successfully launched Move-to-Earn for Corporates in 2021 by signing with major corporations such as Singapore and Malaysia’s Western Union, Deloitte, LVMH and many more.