Belongingness and employee experience go hand in hand since an engaged employee portrays the values of belongingness which create trust and build bridges for good employee experience.

It does not matter whether a person is an introvert or an I extrovert - people want to belong. Many introverted employees are at greater risk of developing a lack of belongingness in an organisation, thanks to limited social interaction, while the ones who are extroverted feel a stronger sense of belongingness because they can be more socially active. The thought of belongingness acts as an inherent promoter that propels people to be involved and present within the environment. An employee’s individual personality decides the degree to which they seek a way of belongingness with others, and therefore, the organisation.

Most organisations actively pursue diverse representations in their workplace, but this will not necessarily ensure that all employees feel that they are included. Creating a way of belonging — an employee’s perception of acceptance within a given group — provides HR leaders with an honest opportunity to reinvigorate their inclusion approach and goals. “Belonging is a key component of inclusion. When employees are truly included, they perceive that the organisation cares for them as individuals, their authentic selves. HR can help make that happen,” says Lauren Romansky, Managing Vice President, Gartner. “That’s good for employees — and ultimately improves business performance.”

Belongingness is good for organisation culture

If the workers feel that they belong, companies reap substantial bottomline benefits. High belonging was linked to a whopping 56% increase in job performance, a 50% drop by turnover risk, and a 75% reduction in sick days. For a 10,000-person company, this would end in annual savings of over $52M Employees with higher workplace belonging also showed a 167% increase in their Employer Promoter Score (their willingness to recommend their company to others). They also received double the raises, and 18 times more promotions.

Things that foster a way of elbonging culture

1. Recognise employees for unique efforts: Being recognised for accomplishments at work was the single-most important contributor to an overall sense of belonging. Recognition for accomplishments was also more important to women (62%) than it was for men (57%). Though the data-point does not clarify the rationale, it may be so because women, when compared to their male colleagues, often feel undervalued at work. Not all employees are motivated in an equivalent way—for instance, while some wish to be recognised publicly, in visible ways, others prefer a personal message or reward.

2. Employee sharing an honest opinion: The ability to be precise in your thoughts and opinions at work is more about fostering an open, honest environment where employees are not afraid to challenge the established order. Employees who are aware that they can speak their mind feel more motivated to contribute unique ideas that go against the grain, and also command more respect from their peers. Sometimes, employees need to learn to talk more candidly and confidently on their own—say for instance, in interviews or performance reviews. However, leaders also need to confirm that they are setting a tone that allows their workers are comfortable sharing their thoughts.

3. Eliminating “outsiderness”: Feeling like an outsider may be a personally painful, negative experience - a cognitive distraction that undermines focus and performance. One, therefore, strives for a work culture in which individuality is noticed and valued. Demonstrate to look out for all the employees and provide routine opportunities for checkins. Workplace support, understanding, and trust reduce the likelihood of an individual feeling like an outsider.

4. Be intentional about inclusion: Unless people consciously attempt to be inclusive, exclusion can occur accidentally. Even unintentional ambient cues can undermine people’s sense of belonging. Actively including people goes beyond just inviting them to meetings. Considering how everyone can contribute

♦ Ask for initial input on a project via a shared document instead of during a group meeting

♦ If a group meeting is the best way to collaborate, put aside a couple of minutes for all participants to place their ideas on post-it notes and have each participant get up and put their ideas on a board, grouping them as they go

♦ Be clear about how decisions are going to be made and do not make decisions ‘offline’ with a get few team members

#EmployeeExperience

Experiences stick with us all through our lives. Not only do they shape who we are as human beings, but they also assist us to connect with and build relationships with others. Employee experience encapsulates what people encounter and observe over the course of their tenure in an organisation.

Our experience with the pandemic notwithstanding, it has never been more important for organisations around the world to specialise in employee experience. The treatment meted out to your employees during difficult times matters far more than how you treat them when things are going great.

Employee experience bolsters a way stronger company culture, with each complementing the other. More and more organisations are recognising people as their greatest assets and are investing additionally in employee experience.

Business leaders are also realising the advantages that an excellent employee experience can have on recruitment, employee engagement and therefore the company’s bottom line.

Designing Employee Experience

♦ Determine top priority helps driving the people initiatives focusing on employee experience.

♦ Let the numbers discuss the gap/success story and presenting these stories with the assistance of data creates more impact.

♦ Build-in linkages help identify the problem statement and help build a comprehensive understanding of the whole employee lifecycle, it is important to create in linkages to and from other content and data. For instance, use of an engagement survey, that data may help which factors to specialise in & exit survey also.

♦ Empower action employee surveys to allow everyone to share and make an impression to enhance the worker experience.

♦ Designate a senior leader or team to own it as it changes the entire experience.

Belongingness and employee experience go hand in hand since an engaged employee portrays the values of belongingness which helps to trust and build bridges for good employee experience.

Aligning and motivating employees is possible even though it is becoming more challenging by the day. Employee experiences are very individual and difficult to measure. There is no specification for creating an inclusive company with a sense of belongingness. But, starting at the grass-roots and receiving the support of the executive is often the foremost and a crucial step. Building an organisational culture is not an HR initiative alone, and building a diverse and inclusive company where employees develop a feeling of belongingness is an organisation-wide effort. Once HR is able to crack it in collaboration with all the other members of the organisation, it shows visible results.

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