Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are imperative to business success, but organizations must go a step further to create a truly inclusive workplace. That’s why we at Model N added an important letter to our initiative: B for belonging.
Merely having a DEI strategy doesn’t suffice if it fails to create an environment and culture of acceptance where employees have the enthusiasm and the desire to participate. That’s why the belonging piece of DEIB is so critical. Belonging focuses on the emotional aspect of employee experience and fulfills a core physiological need to feel safe, secure, and welcomed. Employees should experience warmth, acceptance, support, and validation in action, ultimately leading to a sense of belonging to a community.
Diverse companies earn 2.5x higher cash flow per employee, and diverse management correlates with increased revenue. But in the end, diversity and inclusion are about people. Neuroscience research shows people thrive when they enjoy fundamental rights such as agency, self-determination, freedom from fear, and freedom of expression. HR leaders must focus on fostering environments that genuinely encourage freedom and belonging.
The Difference Between Inclusion and Belonging
Inclusion involves HR strategies, initiatives, and programs designed to create a diverse and inclusive environment for employees. These efforts focus on equal representation, fairness, and removing barriers to encourage diverse perspectives to participate in the work environment.
I view inclusion as the invitation to employees—saying, “Yes, we want you involved.” But a simple invitation doesn’t mean a person will feel welcome and comfortable. For example, just because I invite my friends to a family party doesn’t mean they’ll feel welcome—they may still feel out of place.
Belonging is the feeling individuals have that leads them to accept the invitation—when they reply “Yes, I want to be involved” because they feel welcome, connected, and valued for who they are. When you achieve this goal, you have successfully created that emotional sense of belonging that makes employees feel comfortable bringing their authentic selves and unique perspectives to every situation, which enhances the entire business.
How to Foster Belonging
Creating an environment with belonging requires more than just a set of initiatives and check boxes. It takes a concentrated, consistent, daily effort. These steps will help HR leaders build an inclusive workplace within their businesses.
-
Leadership Commitment
Progress starts at the top. Encourage senior leaders to champion belonging as a core organizational value and practice what they preach. Train managers to build a supportive environment, promote open and direct communication, and support career development. Without leadership buy-in, the initiative can’t succeed.
-
Clear Communication
Clear communication builds transparency and trust. Effective communication involves consistently talking about and reinforcing inclusion and belonging values, setting clear expectations, and providing status updates on DEIB initiatives and progress.
-
Empowering Employee Voices
Leaders should conduct a dialogue, not a monologue. Involve employees in shaping the organization’s culture and policies by encouraging open discussion and actively listening and responding. Empowering employee voices requires creating opportunities to share perspectives, ideas, and feedback and establishing inclusive decision-making processes that value and incorporate diverse viewpoints.
Consider this scenario: If I’m the only woman in a meeting, my manager might pause to ask my thoughts directly. This small gesture shows that my manager sees me and values my input and that my team wants to hear from me, building my confidence to voice an opinion in the future. In this scenario, my manager has also modeled to others the intentional leadership behavior that promotes inclusiveness and belonging.
-
Living Core Values
The foundation of belonging stems from acting on inclusive values in a consistent way. Don’t practice the above actions sporadically—or only when someone’s watching. Maintaining a consistent values-based culture in which employees feel comfortable, supported, and connected requires intentional focus and effort in big and small ways every day.
The Power of Belonging
Building an atmosphere of belonging generates many benefits, including enhanced engagement, commitment, and heightened productivity.
When employees feel a sense of belonging, they are more likely to be engaged with their work and the organization. Having a strong sense of belonging begets trust and sparks the desire to help the company succeed. Overall, engaged employees are happier, more productive, and more likely to stay with the company because they feel a part of something meaningful and important.
DEIB is a critical priority for companies across all industries, but to be successful, it’s not just about establishing the right policies or programs. The way to bring DEIB strategies to life is to create a sense of belonging for employees through trust, connection, and demonstrating genuine respect for the uniqueness every individual brings to an organization.
Laura Selig is Chief People Officer and joined Model N in 2018. She’s responsible for all aspects of HR, including talent attraction and retention, employee learning and development, and culture initiatives to grow and enhance Model N’s reputation as a great place to work. She has 20+ years of HR experience across a variety of industries, including high-tech and financial services. Before Model N, Selig led the people functions for high-tech start-ups, including SnapLogic and Couchbase. She also spent a number of years in global HR leadership roles at Visa, Inc.
