Creating a Sense of Belonging at Work

​Human beings have a fundamental need to belong; yet 40 percent of us say we feel isolated at work. To better understand this basic need to belong, the career and life coaching platform BetterUp conducted research to investigate the role of belonging at work and “the outsized consequences of its absence”.


Here’s what the research showed:

• Belonging strengthens the bottom line: High belonging was linked to a whopping 56% increase in job performance, a 50% drop in turnover risk, and a 75% reduction in sick days.   (Tweet it!)
• Exclusion leads to team (and self-) sabotage:  Feeling excluded leads us to expend less effort.
• The harmful effects of exclusion can be reversed: Strategies like sharing experiences, coaching others in similar situations, and finding a fair-acting ally can mitigate feelings of exclusion.

Organizations are not powerless in the face of exclusion, but leadership must ensure that recruiting for diversity is not an end in itself. To ensure that no one feels left out, regular feedback should be solicited and attended to.

Have you ever felt excluded at work? What have you done to make others feel they belong? To join the conversation, click "comments" above.

If you would like to learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication, check out our online learning programs.  

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