Creating True Belonging in the Workplace

In today's diverse work environment, creating a sense of belonging for all employees is essential. However, truly achieving this can be a tall order for many companies, and takes courage. As Nicole Caron shares, the journey towards being treasured and belonging at work while embracing all identities—queer, non-binary, disabled, hard of hearing, neurodivergent—is complex but incredibly important.

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Nicole's Journey to Belonging

by Nicole Caron, Guest Contributor for The Confidence Alliance Newsletter

Being treasured and belonging at work while being myself and having that cherishing feeling include all of my identities, queer, non-binary, disabled, hard of hearing, neurodivergent etc. is something I have found to be a tall order for a lot of companies to deliver on.

You may be asking yourself, "well what does belonging even really mean?" According to Great Place To Work's article "Belonging in the Workplace: What Does it Mean and Why Does it Matter? "Belonging in the workplace is an employee's sense that their uniqueness is accepted and even treasured by their organization and colleagues." This is important because so many companies stop at accepting their employees and don't realize that in order for employees to truly feel as though they belong, they must also be treasured.

Over the last decade I've had an array of jobs and with that I've experienced all levels of acceptance and belonging or lack thereof. I had a job as a teenager where I was accepted in my Queer identity, but I wasn't necessarily treasured because of it. As a young adult I had a job that was an unsafe environment, due to management, for me to express myself fully as queer, non-binary, and disabled. I kept these parts of me hidden and therefore could never fully feel as though I belonged. Currently at Carolanne Caron, CPA I am not only out and proud about being queer and non-binary, but I openly identify as disabled, hard of hearing and neurodivergent. My perspectives are taken into consideration, I am actively accommodated for my disabilities, and I am treasured not in spite of my identities but because of them.

How can I tell the difference between these three different workplaces? I can feel the sense of safety that comes along with belonging because of day-to-day experiences. "Belonging is an accumulation of day-to-day experiences that enables a person to feel safe and bring their full, unique self to work" While it is always nice to have diversity celebrated on a grand scale such as Pride for the LGBTQ+ community, it is really the intimate day-to-day interactions that signal to a person that they can be themselves fully. Some of the signals that make me feel welcome are the presence of the progressive LGBTQ+ flag, everyone having pronouns listed in their email signatures, ADA compliance in office spaces, flexible structure for working hours, the ability to listen to music while working, regular individualized check-ins with management, etc. Additionally, how coworkers and management talk about current events, holidays, and culture in general signal whether they are a safe person for people of diverse identities or not. It is important to observe how and what we are talking about with coworkers in order to foster a welcoming environment for people of all identities and backgrounds.

Most importantly when trying to foster an accepting and welcoming environment it is important to get feedback from the people you are trying to create a sense of belonging with and actively listening to the feedback.

Happy Pride Month everyone and remember that fostering an environment of belonging benefits everyone,

Nicole (They/Them)

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Resource of the Month

This month, I highly recommend the book Belonging at Work: Everyday Actions You Can Take to Cultivate an Inclusive Organization by Rhodes Perry. It's a valuable resource for anyone looking to create a more inclusive and welcoming workplace.

Call to Action

I’d love to hear your thoughts on creating a sense of belonging in the workplace. Have you experienced this in your career? How did you achieve it? Share your stories in the LinkedIn comments.

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For any inquiries or to discuss how I can help your organization, feel free to contact me at [email protected].

Speaking

I’m Nancy Bos, a world-traveling voice expert, fear researcher, speaker, and author. I help people unleash their voices and tap into their power.        

I LOVE to speak to groups about Empowered Voices. Visit my Speakers Page to learn more about me talking to your company or group.