In the post-pandemic landscape, there’s been a definite trend amongst job seekers and employees prioritising companies they are working for or looking to work for in the form of company culture, employee wellbeing, and non-monetary benefits. However, there’s one hugely powerful aspect that’s often being overlooked: the power of belonging.
Reports suggest that almost half of all UK employees fail to experience a sense of belonging in the workplace. And it’s causing companies to lose existing employees.
Why belonging matters
Research by McKinsey identifies 3 additional factors essential to a successful approach to Diversity & Inclusion: equality, openness, and belonging.
A sense of belonging is key to helping employees to feel included, valued, and even more importantly, that they deserve their position within the company. Experts have uncovered a close link between a lack of belonging and ‘imposter syndrome’, where employees feel undeserving of their role and recognition. All of this can have a negative impact on staff retention rates.
In fact, McKinsey surveyed a group of employees who all resigned from their roles over a 6-month period. It was found that 51% lacked a sense of belonging.
Examining this further, Deloitte suggests that a sense of belonging can improve job performance by 56%, reduce turnover by half, and cut sick days by up to 75%.
How can your company help you feel like you belong?
Back in 2020, a Deloitte report showed that nearly 80% of businesses believed belonging to be crucial to success. Yet just 13% were ready to do something about it. And the situation today doesn’t appear to be much better. At a time when many organisations are focusing on recovery, they’re struggling to find the time to address some of the major challenges that are appearing in employee satisfaction.
However, helping you feel more of a sense of belonging at work doesn’t have to be tricky. In fact, by prioritising the ‘Three C’s,’ your company can help you feel more valued…
- Comfort
To really feel like you belong, you need to know that you can bring your true self to work, rather than your ‘work persona’. You need to feel comfortable being yourself and know that you are valued for who you are.
- Connection
Consider what you want to feel that you belong to. Ultimately, it’s not that you want to feel that you belong to the business itself; it’s that you want to feel connected to and supported by the workplace community.
- Contribution
You feel like you belong when you can clearly see how your work aligns with and helps the wider business. Try to recognise your individual strengths and skills, and work to create transparent links between these skills and overall business goals.
