Belonging in the Workplace

A staggering 42% of UK employees do not feel a sense of?belonging in the workplace. Those who experience a lower sense of belonging report 20% more burnout, 19% more team conflict, 14% more stress and 13% poorer work-life balance.?This feeling of isolation ultimately has a negative impact on an organisation – over three-quarters of employees who have less connections at work will start their job search outside the business. (BetterUp research, 2022)

How Does Belonging Affect Recruitment and Retention?

The same research found that businesses that are highly connected, experience 32% higher ratings on Glassdoor and employees are 25% more likely to recommend to their network, including friends and family. This positive exposure to new talent as a result of a sense of employee-belonging is significant.

Further benefits of more socially connected workplaces include teams that are:

• 52% more able to generate new and useful solutions.
• 38% more likely to take calculated risks.
• 17% less likely to experience conflict.

Research has also shown that managers have the most significant influence over the employee experience, their resilience and sense of belonging in the workplace. When managers champion connection, their direct reports do too. Direct reports put in 35% more effort to build connections with others and 14% more effort to make others feel valued.

Establishing a Sense of Belonging

Even the most effective recruiting strategy won’t lead to long-term change if new talent isn’t supported to thrive and succeed.?The good news is there are plenty of actionable processes that can boost a sense of belonging with new and existing colleagues alike:

• People feel a sense of belonging in the workplace when they believe the work they do is significant. Having a vision and goals for your business is the first step. Communicating your vision in a way that motivates people is the next.
• Establish a point of contact within the team or informal mentor for new colleagues from day one.
• Utilise coaching mentors to upskill and increase collaboration both inter-team and department.
• Recognise accomplishments at a company-wide level.
• Encourage collaborative project work by reviewing how your teams are structured and utilise your communication channels to bring remote and onsite workers together.
• Foster effective relationships with direct managers through 1-to-1 meetings and regular team updates.
• Leaders should invite and action employee feedback; this is often seen as?the cornerstone of inclusive companies.

During times of uncertainty, businesses must change and flex with the market and simultaneously, employees need to do the same. Connection to peers helps prevent feelings of isolation, burnout, fear, and ambiguity. Investing in employees’ social connection will increase agility, resilience, and overall well-being needed to help overcome unforeseen shifts and challenges, leading to a healthier business as a whole.

MD Comment

Uncertainly and lack of belonging at any time is counter-productive and never more so than now after the extraordinary journey most of us have encountered in recent times. The figures speak for themselves, inclusion and communication plays an essential part of the rhythm of a business, the old mantra “communicate, communicate and then communicate” has never been more vital for business leaders.