A workplace community with a sense of belonging improves engagement, productivity and retention.

There’s so much more to human existence than work, and yet we spend about 80% of our time in professional pursuits. Somehow, this is reminiscent of the water-land ratio on earth – a ratio that we humans have made the most of since our inception, making this 21% of land liveable, cultivable, survivable, pleasant and peaceful as far as we possibly can.

Every century, we drive progress that was previously unimaginable. Doesn’t it all come from a strongly inherent sense of belonging with the earth? We are creatures of our habitat, creating spaces to call our own, communities to lean on, practices to live by and a culture to bind us.

Now, pause for a minute. What if we made this the basis of belongingness at the workplace? In a 2022 report by EY, an interesting insight came to light. In the context of the Asia-Pacific region, employees are three times more likely to stay in a job if they feel a sense of belonging. The same study also mentioned that this could result in significant savings for the organisation, to the tune of $100 billion. That is a lot of pressure on a parameter like belongingness.

What, really, is this abstract and seemingly intangible concept?

The best way to answer this question is with more questions. Here are a few things to ponder over, aspects that will help get to the bottom of belonging.

Do I feel like I am a part of the team, or like I am apart from the team? What needs to be done to improve the situation?

Do I feel aligned to the organisation? More importantly, do I always need to feel aligned?
Am I doing the right things with respect to my role? Does my work align with organisational objectives?

Do I have the opportunities and avenues to collaborate with others, especially those that are starkly different from me?

Can I be my authentic self at work? Am I worried about perceptions? Will I be branded, labelled or tagged in any way?

While belongingness is an integral part of the larger organisational culture, these are questions any individual can answer to identify whether they truly feel welcomed and included at the workplace. We can also introspect on these factors as team-leaders and managers. The answers we come up with might just spark discussion or result in important realisations about how we can empower our teams better.

In fact, we can also get useful insights from factors that adversely affect a general sense of belonging. As per the EY survey from 2022, the top reasons according to respondents were having their ideas or points of view dismissed, not being given timely feedback, behaviour that makes people feel uncomfortable, retaliation for expressing ideas, and not being asked for an opinion. These are indicative of the fact that people need interaction, socialisation, and, most importantly, people need to feel like they are heard, valued and remembered.

So, how can we emphasise the social element at the workplace?

Forge connections

A sense of belonging at the workplace does not always stem from belonging that is specific to the workplace. When people form lasting connections, get to meet like-minded colleagues, find common interests and topics of conversation, their bonds rise above just functional collaboration, while also positively impacting people’s ability to work cohesively, to understand and empathise with each other, and ultimately to share successes or failures with the same spirit of togetherness.

Belongingness cannot come about overnight – it is the result of multiple initiatives, small gestures, collective milestones and mutual support during challenging times. In a larger culture that encourages such networking, relationship equity becomes the norm. People thrive on forming meaningful connections when their leaders pave the way and encourage such an atmosphere.

Meet mindfully

Mindfulness isn’t a mere catchphrase in the context of mental wellness. It is a concept that seeps into everything we do through the day. Making meetings more mindful, listening to each other with attention, absorbing new perspectives with interest, and participating to respond-not-react – these are just a few ways that work can become more meaningful.

Managers and senior leaders can also introduce more informal channels of communication. From coffee catch-ups to spontaneous check-ins and conversations that go beyond the usual daily tasks and performance updates, there is a lot that leaders can do.

In fact, this can also increase the belongingness at the higher rungs of the organisational hierarchy. We live in a time where people communicate seamlessly over text, an age where virtual collaboration tools are abundant, built with great thought and care. Working in a hybrid set-up should not stop people from reaching out to each other, whether it is for a work-related clarification, or for a deeper conversation.

Acknowledge the challenge

A hybrid set-up poses challenges not just for employers but for employees too. It is imperative, therefore, to be aware of what teams feel when they work remotely as opposed to when they work together in person. Does one model boost everyday productivity, while the other bolsters long-term morale? Does working from home help to save time but also impacts performance-based recognition owing to less face-time with one’s manager?

Does working in an office aid in collaboration, while working from home ensures that work is completed on time sans the distractions? There is a plethora of factors to consider, and hybrid working combines the best of several worlds. This is exactly why it becomes so important to consider both sides, understand people’s limitations and then come up with processes that are applicable to the hybrid working model.

Here is where transformation comes in, and calls for greater acceptance, more dynamism, and an evolved employer value proposition that takes into consideration everything the workforce of today needs.

Be it tech tools and digital transformation drives or upgraded reward mechanisms that do not need employees to be constantly present to prove their mettle; be it fun, interactive initiatives at office or just a day for colleagues to unwind together as friends; be it streamlined HR processes, virtual communication & HRMS platforms, or even SOPs for key operations – every little effort aids in belongingness, whether it is through connection, collaboration, awareness and ownership, or a sense of self-sufficiency and autonomy at work.

Belonging can be the ‘secret sauce’ that improves engagement, productivity and retention. It is a potent concept, one that is all-encompassing. An amalgamation of inclusion, empathy, compassion, purpose and togetherness, a sense of belonging is what makes communities and societies thrive. So, why not the workplace community? As we talk about this abstract, intangible feeling, it strikes me that we are all on a quest to find a space where we belong. If, as employers, we are able to provide such an environment for our people, albeit for some hours in a day and some years in a lifetime, we will know that we are doing something right.

Pradeep Bangalore is Senior Director – Human Resources at Kudelski Group in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.