Employers are instructing employees to return to the office full-time, but has it really helped improve employee belonging and productivity? While the pandemic era was credited as a period of great isolation and separation, hybrid work models and the option of online communication managed to tie people together to help create lasting bonds that have rewired how we operate. Despite things having opened up ever since, we have largely backtracked on policies of workplace inclusion in more ways than one.
While a sense of belonging has always been a critical element in employee retention, organizations are no longer working on helping workers feel like active contributors to the business. Employee connection is now more important than ever, seeing as we have shifted to a period where employees are no longer seen as invaluable resources, but not enough is being done to bring the workforce together beyond summoning them to their desks. Overseeing employee belongingness is a primary responsibility of every employer, no matter the size of the organization.
WHAT IS EMPLOYEE BELONGING AND WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Employee belonging refers to a culture of connection where every employee is made to feel like an essential part of the organization. Such a culture helps employees see how essential they are to the future success of the business and how their own progress is tied to the overall growth of the company. Employee belongingness allows employees to feel a connection not just to the business’ goals but to the team they work with to achieve the goals as well.
With the overbearing presence of layoffs and the abject threat of AI looming over workers, most employees are left to feel replaceable and unimportant at their jobs. The lack of attention to employee training and upliftment programs has further solidified this message of isolation, telling workers to improve or quit before they are asked to leave. The death of DEI missions has further forced employees to shed any sense of individuality and conform to the standards in fear that drawing any attention to themselves will result in them being singled out as a liability.
As much as employees have loathed team-building activities and HR-led bonding exercises in the past, those efforts showed employees that some investments were being made in their future. In 2025, employees barely benefit from any attention and support from their employer, further alienating them from the business.
WHY SHOULD YOU CARE ABOUT THE SENSE OF BELONGING AND ITS CONNECTION WITH EMPLOYEE RETENTION?
A recent study by McLean & Company revealed some insightful information regarding employee belonging and the importance of workplace inclusion. Employees who felt more comfortable being themselves at work were believed to be 5.7 times more likely to be engaged and were 70% more likely to stay on at the organization. The study also found that employees who felt their contributions were being valued by the organization were 3.5 times more likely to handle their stress effectively.
The study also found that teams who saw investments in employee belonging were 54% more likely to highly rate their organization’s revenue growth. The numbers make it clear that employee connection and belonging aid workers in feeling more confident, secure, and loyal to their jobs. This information is not new, but it does serve as a reminder that happy employees make for more productive employees.
Despite these long-known benefits of pursuing employee belongingness and workplace inclusivity, few organizations are making investments in the area. According to McLean & Company HR Trends Survey, only 31% of HR leaders reported that their organization was increasing investment in belonging-related initiatives. Loneliness is a chronic and deadly condition that can impair an individual, but encountering it across the entire workforce—one that is permanently burnt out—can be truly alarming.
HOW TO BUILD BELONGING AT WORK?
Employee belonging improves business prospects, but it isn’t a quality that can be manufactured overnight. Employers who want to work with their employees as a team will need to set several changes in motion and work to gain the trust of their employees in order to instill an authentic sense of belonging among workers. Such change takes time, but it is ultimately well worth the effort.
If you’re wondering how to build belonging at work, here are a few ways to get started.
- Improve the frequency and quality of communication as regular interactions provide more material to identify areas of improvement.
- Create clear pathways for communication and encourage employees to use them
- Regularly gather employee feedback and put the feasible changes into effect
- Credit employees for their contribution towards company success and allow them to feel pride in the company’s success
- Involve employees in critical business decisions and keep them in the loop as major changes are made across the organization
- Invest in employee benefits that truly reflect the needs of your workforce rather than a handful of arbitrary measures
- Create connections between employees and invest in opportunities for employees to come together and work towards personal goals
- Organize employee-led events that allow workers to showcase their interests or give back to the community as a whole
- Be a champion of workplace inclusion and allow employees to feel safe and welcome within the workspace
- Operate on a principle of fairness—offer equal pay, performance-based promotions, internal movement within the organization ranks, etc.
IT’S TIME TO INCREASE INVESTMENTS IN EMPLOYEE CONNECTEDNESS
Building a sense of belonging in the workplace is not easy, but it is a worthwhile endeavor that can help foster a sense of community and loyalty. Not only will this reduce the chances of top employees being poached by competitors, but it will also help employees feel a sense of ownership with regard to the overall success of the organization.
Working and growing together is always more sustainable than operating with a constantly changing list of temporary workers, so it might be time to begin focusing on workplace inclusion and creating a sense of belonging among your workforce.
Source – https://www.thehrdigest.com/employee-belonging-is-the-real-path-to-retention-and-revenue/