4 Ways Leaders Can Create Belonging in the Workplace
Humans are social animals. We are not meant to live in siloes, and frankly we would struggle to survive without one another. Experiencing a sense of belonging has always been a human need, but has only gained traction in mainstream conversation more recently, particularly with folx feeling isolated during a global pandemic and with increased awareness and motivation to create an more inclusive society. Yet we still see many company leaders perpetuating individualism through the company policies, values, and general way of interaction in the workplace.
After myriad work experiences of feeling too much, not enough, overworked, underappreciated, and countless microaggressions at work - from “leaders” - I decided to start my own company. Two years ago I woke up one morning and made the decision to create a workplace rooted in the four principles of a new belonging model I developed called Belonging Integration™️. Since then, the company has grown to 40 amazing folx, with zero turnover. Here’s what I did and continue to practice daily:
Solicit opinions. We create these opportunities through multiple avenues, all of which are rooted in our values of (a) education, and (b) DEIB. We have weekly in-house trainings, where rotating employees train the rest of the group on areas that are of importance to them and in which they have expertise. No one is forced to present, but we all attend in order to support one another and learn. People feel safe to ask questions, share insights, and expand our learning through their inquiries. Also, the presenter gets paid for sharing their knowledge, as most of us have not been paid in previous workplaces for our extra specialized knowledge. Additionally, I meet with each employee every few weeks for a 1:1, where we send them lunch and we shoot the shit about whatever organically comes up. We laugh, cry, share stories, get feedback about what they need, and I remind them that they are my boss. “I’m your assistant. So put me to work!”
Foster interpersonal relationships and support. During the interview process, each candidate chooses 4 people to meet - totally up to them. By the time they get hired, they have spent time with 4 people who are now their new work friends. Also, we have a mentoring program where every person in the company is assigned both a mentor and a mentee (and often more than one!). For seasoned professionals who might not need an assigned mentor per se, they have at least two assigned work buddies. It warms my heart when I look on the company calendar and see mentor pairs scheduling meetups.
Build community. We have various weekly events, such as trainings, peer consultation, book club, and even body doubling sessions. And who doesn’t love a quarterly company party with amazing friends, colleagues, food, and psychic mediums? These parties always start at 1PM and never end before midnight (and that’s on an early night).
Give people freedom to explore purpose and meaning. If someone is needing to shake up their routine, they can reach out and ask for different tasks, like creating curriculum, doing a new training, taking a new training, creating a new therapy group, or providing some admin support. We even tell folx that we will help them start a new company if they feel called to explore something completely different! Letting people know “This is YOUR company, not mine,” helps give them ownership of their work experiences, and the safety and freedom to explore and expand their career development journeys.
Our ability to experience human connection is integral to surviving, and certainly for thriving. Excellent leaders understand this, not from the standpoint of profit, but because they care about the human condition. We can’t preach self-love in one arena, but expect folx to abandon it when at work. That’s weird.
Hire people you trust. Ask them what they need. Support them by being a “yes” person. Let them be dynamic.
On the Pod
Belonging + Workplace Trauma w/Kristin Reddick
In this episode, I meet with Kristin Reddick, a licensed mental health therapist who specializes in career counseling and racial trauma. Kristin had over 14 years experience in the financial services industry before becoming a therapist and expert on workplace trauma. Kristin shares her expertise, along with stories of reclaiming her identity, belonging, and power in the corporate world.
Watch this clip of Kristin sharing a story about a coworker providing negative feedback on Kristin’s appearance, along with Dr. Mona’s take. Listen to the full episode on your favorite podcast platform.