The Crucial Role of Belonging in Inclusive Leadership and Diversity

Without Belonging, Diversity Is Not Sustainable.

For many years, organizations have attempted to address equality, diversity, and inclusion, but little progress been made.

Successfully attracting and appointing leaders from underrepresented groups is not enough; we also need them to want to stay. Leaders and employees need to feel a sense of belonging and be given the opportunity to thrive, not simply survive.

40% of people say they feel isolated at work

(HBR)

When employees feel that they are being listened to, respected, valued, and included because of their individuality, rather than despite it, they are happier and more committed to the workplace – which also leads to better performance. A recent study by Harvard Business Review found that 40% of people say they feel isolated at work, quite the opposite of belonging. For those who expressed a strong sense of belonging at their workplace, it translated into a 56% increase in job performance, a 50% drop in turnover risk, and a 75% reduction in sick days. “For a 10,000-person company,” Harvard Business Review adds, “this would result in annual savings of more than $52 million.”?

“Belonging is a personal experience that’s felt differently by different people, but it impacts everyone.”

Belonging is a personal experience that’s felt differently by different people, but it impacts everyone. It is the glue that binds disparate groups and individuals together. Without belonging, diversity is not sustainable. Creating a sense of belonging, not a culture where employees feel they belong “to” the business, through an inclusive environment should be a priority for any leader.

Culture ‘Add’ Over Culture ‘Fit’

No amount of DE&I policies, tick-box exercises, or public declarations can achieve true belonging. Leaders instead need to create a culture where everyone on the team has a voice and is respected, and this must also include the leader themselves. By looking critically at the culture of our organizations, leaders can tune in to the significant change that is required. Instead of expecting new hires to merely fit in with the status quo of a company, they should look at what each new employee can add to the organization to encourage diversity of thought and innovation.

Melonie D. Parker, Chief Diversity Officer at Google, confirms the necessity of this approach at a global firm.

“To keep our culture inclusive, innovative, and thriving, we don’t hire for culture fit. We hire through the lens of culture add.” —Melonie D. Parker.

Intersectionality

Every single person, regardless of their race or gender, needs to take decisive steps toward fostering a true sense of belonging at their place of business.

Employee resource groups that are set up to address individual underrepresented groups by disability, ethnicity, social mobility, or sexual orientation, for example, are a great source of support for workers. However, due to budget and time constraints, companies can often only focus on a couple of these groups each year, which can sow further division as to which get priority.

What is needed is a greater drive for intersectionality within employee resource groups to avoid operating as siloes, which is not reflective of how wider society functions. Many people may also identify with more than one group, so it makes sense to combine efforts. A focus on commonalities, instead of differences, will provide the opportunity to achieve less division and greater change quicker.

Creating a Culture of Belonging

To create a company culture that fosters belonging for all of its leaders and employees, organizations need to start analyzing where they rank in their inclusion maturity. Lord Simon Woolley, Life Peer and Founder/CEO of Operation Black Vote, says that companies “must recognize whether they are at minus 20 or at minus 5 but heading toward zero (which is where more companies are now placed.)”

“Businesses at zero can begin to commence a true trajectory of change.” —Simon Woolley.?

Boards need to clearly set the vision, values, and policy for inclusion, accepting that there are both structural and behavioral elements. It is then the responsibility of leadership and employees to ensure that it is brought to life.

“Experts should then define what belonging is and what it should look like for your company, then HR Directors can interpret this. Business objectives should be inclusive from the very beginning and employees should be asked to do their best work and be their best.” —Sheila Synnott, HR and Talent Director of Infrastructure Products Europe (CRH Plc)

The vision, values, and initiatives must benefit all employees, regardless of their individuality, which should reduce resistance and increase support. Crucially, the CEO and leadership team have to model inclusive behavior and feel a sense of belonging, too. This can be achieved by confronting the difficult conversations and becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable.

“To create conscious inclusion, human leaders and systems need to come together, they need to provide the change tools such as ‘How to be effective in meetings’ and set up the rules. After this, it is then the managers who will shape the everyday employee experience of belonging,” —Revna Besler, Regional HR Director UK/EMEA for Travel Retail, Estee-Lauder.

It is important that everyone feels they can openly be themselves and share their thoughts and opinions without fear or worry. Self-awareness, kindness, and empathetic and vulnerable relationships and leadership are vital. Everyone should have a voice in meetings, not just those who talk the most or the loudest. Interrupting, dismissing another person’s opinion, or talking over colleagues should be treated as unacceptable.

Cracking Down on Micro-Aggressions

Leaders must refuse to accept inappropriate behavior, and consequences must be given to anyone who violates the policies and values, regardless of their position. It is often micro-behavior – small individual acts of exclusion or inclusion – that keeps or changes culture, and therefore an understanding of micro-aggressions and micro-affirmations is key. This is often overlooked in organizations as it is difficult to spot and yet can be fundamental in that it creates a sense of “otherness” for those affected. It is likely that many of us have felt “othered” at some point in our careers due to this behavior.

The difference between micro-aggressions and overt discrimination?is that people who commit micro-aggressions might not even be aware?that they?are doing so.?Learning how to recognize?micro-aggressions and?change?language accordingly can have a positive impact?on the?happiness, productivity,?and retention?of employees.?A micro-aggression could be “You don’t sound Black” or “You don’t look autistic” or scrolling on your mobile phone while in a meeting. Micro-affirmations could include taking a genuine interest in someone’s life, asking for their opinion, or openly supporting their view in a meeting.

“Speak-up and empathy are two culture elements we expect our leaders to create alongside inclusivity.” —Burak Bakkaloglu, Vice President & Head of Talent & Analytics, Europe & Latin America for Ericsson

Using Language as a Tool

The way that we use language is incredibly important in creating a culture of belonging. Acceptable language changes over time, so it is crucial to stay up to date. For example, it’s not acceptable to refer to women as “girls” because it is demeaning and condescending, just as you wouldn’t refer to men as “boys.” The best terms to use are “women” and “men” or “female” and “male.” HR leaders should seek gender-neutral language for job descriptions and avoid words like “strong” and “driven.” Gendered language significantly decreases the feelings of belonging and job appeal for women.

The Talent Management Strategy

Historically, the hiring process was developed by men, for men, so it is vital that steps are taken to change this and make the process more appealing and inclusive. It’s a good idea to highlight benefits such as childcare policies, flexible working, and paternity/maternity leave as candidates may not want to ask about these for fear of judgement or exclusion.

According to recent McKinsey research, almost 40% of people reported turning down a job or deciding not to pursue a job because of “a perceived lack of inclusion at an organization.”

Inclusion must be fully integrated within the whole talent management strategy, including recruitment, employee development, and promotions. Hiring decisions should be based on culture “add” not culture “fit” and interviewers given support to interview with a genuinely open mind, free from bias (conscious or unconscious).

Where possible, organizations should recruit for potential and be prepared to invest time in developing those individuals to achieve their full potential. Promotions must not be given based on the unwritten rules to success, and clear guidelines need to be shared and reviewed to assess suitability for promotion. Equal status should also be applied to employees when considering them for promotion. For example, it’s important to consider a part-time employee or remote worker for promotion as seriously as one would consider a full-time employee or office-based worker.

Remote Work and Belonging

Remote working provides more opportunities to create a diverse workforce but, for many, online relationships may not be enough to promote a culture of belonging. This could be exacerbated when some return to the office and others remain at home. If leaders fail to address this, those at home may begin to feel they no longer belong. Leaders must seize the opportunity to create a culture that is free from micro-aggressions, encourage collaboration over competition, and reward and celebrate individuals for their contributions. Over time, this helps ensure that a feeling of “otherness” is avoided.

These challenges should be taken as an opportunity, especially for those companies that are building a hybrid office approach. Reverse mentoring offers such an opportunity, as it encourages collaboration and an appreciation of another perspective. It can be effective both online and in person and can also help create a sense of belonging. By empowering a more junior person to question and teach a leader, there can be gains for both parties. This can be challenging to implement in a “command and control” environment where leaders are used to “telling” but it can be invaluable for providing fresh insight and perspectives and reinforces the importance of everyone’s involvement.

To read the full white paper this article has been extracted from, click here .

About the Author

Eleri Dodsworth ?is a Partner at the Stanton Chase London office where she is Regional Leader of the Diversity and Inclusion Practice for Europe, Middle East, and Africa and a member of the AESC (Association of Executive Search & Leadership Consultants) Diversity Leadership Council for Europe and Africa. Eleri works with her clients to advise and build inclusive environments and diverse teams, and she hosts regular roundtable discussions for leaders on the subject of inclusion, diversity, and belonging in the workplace.