Everyone needs to feel like they belong. Whether in life in general or at work. Even the loneliest among us can’t do without a loving and affectionate environment. Attachment plays a fundamental role in human development. It’s precisely for this reason that many managers today are striving to cultivate a sense of belonging within their companies. It’s not just an excellent way of retaining talent. It’s also a particularly interesting way of promoting team efficiency and productivity. It’s a win-win situation. The company is better able to achieve its objectives. And employees benefit from an internal sense of security. This encourages them to stay in a professional environment where they feel good.

Of course, this requires efforts that are mainly concentrated at managerial level. So, what exactly are we talking about? Here are the details.

What’s the point of a sense of belonging?

First of all, this concept is not only essential in the corporate context. It applies wherever we talk about a group. (A family, a circle of friends, a company, a country, etc.). The dictionary offers the following definition. “A feeling of being part of a community, whether ethnic, religious, musical or of any other kind”. However, the term is much more often used in the professional context. Indeed, most organizations today are actively seeking to establish a brand image… one that reflects the value of the company.

A sense of belonging has thus become a sine qua non for reducing staff turnover. But above all, to ensure employee satisfaction. This is all the more important given that new talent attaches particular importance to psychological health. The objective remains simple: to ensure that all employees feel included, as full members of the group. This also makes it much easier to take pride in being attached to a specific company. This is also known as “corporate belonging”.

Whatever the case, a sense of belonging is built up gradually. It develops through interaction and sharing between employees themselves, but also with the management team. An employee’s perception of his or her acceptance within a group also offers HR managers many opportunities. In particular, they can reinvigorate their approach and objectives in terms of inclusion.

Other benefits include:

Team building;
Improved performance;
Quality of work;
Employee commitment and loyalty, boosted by a sense of belonging;
Creativity and innovation.

What role does it play in professional fulfillment?

Belonging to a company is an important driver of employee commitment. It has a direct impact on their level of enthusiasm and connection. All of which is to say that it’s a significant motivator on a day-to-day basis. In other words, they are more likely to go the extra mile for their organization. They will also show greater commitment.

However, the scope of this concept goes far beyond these aspects, reaching as far as the individual employee. Indeed, the sense of belonging has a direct influence on fulfillment in the professional social setting. This is mainly due to the basic workings of human psychology. At the most basic level, each and every one of us needs to feel accepted, included and heard. While its absence shouldn’t hold you back in your self-improvement, recognition is an indispensable human need.

Quite simply, knowing that our efforts and achievements matter encourages us to give even more. It also makes us less likely to compare ourselves with our colleagues. Instead, by taking advantage of the feeling of belonging, we assess our worth in terms of the appreciation we receive on an individual level. This remains true in all other aspects of life. Lack of recognition from parents, for example, can be the cause of malaise, frustration and various anxieties. In some cases, these can even persist into adulthood.

All this to say that corporate belonging is vital if employees are to feel happy. This is all the more important given that we spend an average of 36 hours a week at work.

How do you cultivate a sense of belonging in the workplace?

We’ve all been in a situation where we’ve felt out of place… At one time or another in our lives. Maybe it was at a birthday party or a professional conference. Now imagine your employees experiencing the same discomfort on a permanent, daily basis. Would it really be surprising to see them resign one by one? So why not develop a corporate sense of belonging to prevent or solve the problem? Here are a few easy-to-follow tips.

A SENSE OF BELONGING AND RECOGNITION FROM THE MANAGEMENT TEAM
Lack of recognition at work is one of the main obstacles to creating a sense of belonging. Indeed, consideration helps employees to see that their company appreciates them. But, above all, that they contribute to their team’s success. Likewise, there’s no better way than to feel useful in your day-to-day efforts. This is particularly important when the organization is undergoing certain reforms or major changes. At these crucial moments, it’s vital for employees to acquire a sense of belonging and security. This in turn motivates them to keep up the good work.

And yet, a study published by DARES in 2019 showed that a third of employees still suffer from a lack of recognition. So, what can you do to improve the situation? Simply increase the amount of recognition. This includes, among other things:

Promotions and raises;
Productivity bonuses;
Encouraging behaviors and gestures;
Compliments and thanks.

To cultivate a sense of belonging, efforts at this level need to be made on an ongoing basis. An excellent way to do this is to share information on a regular basis. This concerns the way in which the company is striving to achieve its objectives. But also about individual progress.

COLLABORATIVE MANAGEMENT
Flawless leadership is another prerequisite for creating a sense of corporate belonging. In this respect, the application of collaborative management seems particularly appropriate. Involving employees in the decision-making process can actually enhance their sense of security… The certainty that they are actively and fully involved in the life of the company.

Thanks to the sense of belonging this produces, they are all the more likely to be motivated to progress. What’s more, it would be much easier to coordinate efforts. And to achieve common goals over the long term.

So, how can you ensure effective collaboration between your management team and your employees? Adopting a few good habits on a daily basis can help. Here are a few examples.

Encourage employees to contribute to company activities.
Consider each member’s opinions.
Engage in open, transparent and effective communication. (This is particularly important in cultivating a sense of belonging).
Make unified decisions to achieve common goals.
Offer ongoing support to overcome workplace challenges or obstacles together.
Promote continuous, ongoing feedback (instead of the traditional quarterly, half-yearly or annual appraisals).

Moreover, collaborative management allows employees to put forward their own ideas. This encourages innovation within your company. Not only would you have access to a myriad of diverse viewpoints. But you’d also have a more committed team at your disposal.

See also the different management styles.

A SENSE OF BELONGING AND THE ABILITY TO UNITE
To move in the same direction, you need at least one common goal. You can involve your whole team in setting this goal. However, an equally effective solution is to suggest a clear vision that is both attractive and reassuring.

Then, use the ability to federate to get employees to communicate around it. But also to monitor and reward progress over a given period. This will help strengthen cohesion, while encouraging members of your organization to work together.

To promote a sense of belonging within your company, it can also be advantageous to set up an appraisal system to measure key performance indicators accurately. This will help clarify what success means to employees. At the same time, it motivates them to constantly make significant progress.

INVESTING IN THE LONG TERM
As mentioned above, corporate belonging is built gradually. This implies long-term efforts. There are many different ways of doing this. To cultivate and maintain a sense of belonging, you can, for example :

Encourage initiatives such as promoting diversity;
Offer flexible working hours;
Introduce emotional well-being programs (sports activities, health risk assessments, stress management, etc.);
Increasing the number of recreational outings;
Promote signs of appreciation…

All these measures will show your employees that you care about their distinct needs and requirements. Even outside the workplace. At the same time, you have the opportunity to boost your team’s productivity.

What can you do to cultivate a sense of belonging from a distance?

Telecommuting has become almost commonplace in the current health crisis. But one of its limitations is that employees can feel isolated. This makes it difficult to develop an effective corporate belonging strategy. But that doesn’t mean you can’t do something about it. With a few good practices, you could actually succeed in maintaining it, even outside the office. Consider the following examples.

Perpetuate daily rituals, such as simply saying hello to each other in the morning. This can help maintain a sense of belonging. Even via communication platforms such as Zoom, Skype…
Encourage regular exchanges.
Offer opportunities for physical meetings from time to time.
Prepare small activities to be done online. (Cooking, baking, wine-making, DIY, long-distance yoga…)

In short, the secret is to keep the human touch, even if it’s all done online.

What responsibility do employees have in this case?

It can happen that the initiatives taken by the company and the management team have no impact on the employee(s). In reality, a sense of belonging also requires effort on the part of employees. Even if this is only part of the job. This includes :

Willingness to take part in organized activities;
Adherence to organizational values;
Promoting the sharing of ideas;
Upward communication.

Also, make sure you make the necessary effort to fit in. This is especially important when it comes to a new team. Whether after resignation, retraining or a long sabbatical, it can indeed be difficult to find your feet. This means that the feeling of belonging is unlikely to be immediate.

So remember to approach interactions with an open mind and a willingness to get to know new people. Of course, rapport and trust take time to build. So be sure to take it one step at a time. However, it’s important to remain yourself throughout this process. By doing so, you’ll be able to build genuine relationships with your new colleagues.

What to remember?

Corporate belonging is the certainty that you belong. This comes with many benefits. But above all, creating and developing a sense of belonging is an effective way of boosting employee motivation and productivity. By feeling useful, they will actually be more willing to put in constant effort. And to achieve the organization’s objectives. However, this requires serious work on the part of managers. Recognition, inclusion of each member in the life of the company, the ability to federate… These are all necessary in this case.