In times of crises and uncertainty, staying engaged and productive can be difficult – and many find themselves looking outside of their current organisation for new opportunities. Which is only natural, if employees don’t feel safe in their current roles and aren’t really feeling at home in their organisations.

The good news is, organisations can work to mitigate this downturn/loss of talent by ensuring a sense of belonging among the employees – something that can make employees way, way more likely to be engaged and loyal to their organisations.

In fact, a recent study (from the Center for Talent Innovation and including answers from 3,711 individuals) showed that employees who feel a stronger sense of belonging are more engaged in their job ( 97 % versus 54 % for those with the lowest sense of belonging). The former were also more loyal (93 % versus 35) and way more inclined to recommend their employer (71 % versus 17). Making it rather obvious that building a sense of belonging is particularly important right now, and can have some good results for areas such as retention and engagement. Which becomes even clearer if we also look at a recent BetterUp study showing that “high belonging was linked to a whopping 56% increase in job performance, a 50% drop in turnover risk, and a 75% reduction in sick days”.

The question, then, becomes how we can actually achieve such a sense of belonging, and here we may go back to Talent Innovation and check out their definition. Where “belonging was defined as being 1) seen for your unique contributions; 2) connected to your coworkers; 3) supported in your daily work and career development; and 4) proud of your organization’s values and purpose.” Which means that it’s absolutely vital to acknowledge employees for their performance, help them in their work and development, ensure a strong sense of connection between employees and furthermore taking a look at the organisational purpose.

Enter, D&I

While the above may sound pretty straight-forward, there is one thing that adds some complexity to the matter – namely that inherent biases and a lack of inclusion can make it super difficult for many people to even have the chance of feeling a sense of belonging. Which was shown by this same study, finding that “white men score higher (when ranking their sense of belonging) than female employees and employees of other races or ethnicities.”

Now, this is honestly pretty scary, and clearly shows the need for a substantial focus and investment in diversity and inclusion. Something that was also pointed to by Talent Innovation’s President, Lanaya Irvin, who explains that:

Belonging will become increasingly relevant in the aftermath of global pandemic, economic disruption and social unrest. This report gives corporate leaders a path forward toward creating inclusive cultures where all employees feel seen and heard and respected in their authentic identities and across lines of difference.”

This is a difficult time for many employees and organisations, who may face a higher turnover and a loss of productivity and engagement. Where working actively with the sense of belonging can do wonders, but where this also may require some substantial work and focus on Diversity & Inclusion.

Sources: https://www.hrdive.com/news/belonging-can-spur-resilience-during-a-crisis-study-says/580449/

https://www.talentinnovation.org/_private/assets/PowerOfBelonging_PressRelease.pdf

https://hbr.org/2019/12/the-value-of-belonging-at-work

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