Do you feel like you belong at work? Here’s why it’s so important for your health, happiness and productivity

We all want to feel like we belong. Psychologists have known this for a long time, describing belonging as a fundamental human need^[1] that brings meaning to our lives^[2].

Traditionally, this need was filled by family and community networks. But as society becomes more individualised^[3], with many people moving away from their community and family, the workplace has become an increasingly important source of meaning, connection and friendship.

Many employers know the value of belonging, boasting that their organisation is like a family^[4] – a place where everyone is welcome and takes care of each other. But in reality, just being hired isn’t necessarily enough to feel like you belong. Belonging is about feeling accepted and included^[5]. This might mean feeling “seen” by your colleagues and manager, and that your work is recognised, rewarded and respected.

Most people want to do meaningful^[6] work, and belonging and feeling connected^[7] with others is part of this. Meaning in work may come from the job itself – doing something that aligns with our purpose^[8] – or from the relationships and roles people create in the workspace. Consider someone who has a (formal or informal) position of offering support to their colleagues. This sense of connection and belonging can make the job feel more meaningful.

Belonging is also good for business. Feeling excluded and lonely can lead people to disengage, negatively affecting their work performance^[9]. Surveys have found that over 50% of people who left their jobs did so in search of better belonging^[10], with younger workers more likely to leave^[11].

The exclusion that comes from not belonging can be as painful as physical injury^[12], and feeling isolated can have a range of negative health impacts^[13]. In contrast, when employees feel they belong, they are happier and less lonely, leading to^[14] greater productivity, fewer sick days and higher profits.

In my role as a psychotherapist, I work with countless people who feel unsupported and alone in the workplace due to direct or indirect discrimination and exclusion. The instinctive response can be to work harder^[15] to be accepted and belong – but this can lead to burnout, trying to get the approval that might never come.

This article is run in partnership with HowTheLightGetsIn, the world’s largest ideas and music festival, which returns to Hay-on-Wye from May 24-27. On Sunday, May 26, The Conversation’s Avery Anapol will host a live event delving into whether “meaningful work” exists in today’s age. Check out the festival’s full line-up of speakers^[16] and don’t miss an exclusive 20% off tickets with code CONVO24. The pandemic altered how we think about and engage with work^[17]. Some businesses may feel that bringing people back into the office is the answer to building connections and fostering belonging. But the truth is such actions alone could have the opposite effect. People may withdraw^[18] and become less connected in such spaces. Those who prefer working from home may feel unsupported by their workplace if they have to come in to the office to deliver work they can do equally, if not more productively, at home^[19]. On the flip side, for some people, being in the office offers a sense of belonging and connection that can be missing when working from home. Ideally, enabling a balance between the two allows people to benefit from the advantages of both spaces^[20] and work in a way that maximises productivity and connection. But it may be some time before employers figure out how to get the balance right. Belonging is particularly important to consider as workplaces become more diverse. Workplace discrimination is more likely to be experienced by marginalised groups, and is a major barrier to belonging^[21]. Employees in organisations that are more diverse^[22], particularly in senior leadership positions, are more likely to feel a sense of belonging. Diversity is also related to greater productivity^[23] and profitability^[24]. But organisations must consider the diversity distribution^[25]. While grand statements of inclusion may attract new workers, if the senior leadership team is predominately white and middle class, these statements have little meaning. For diversity to effectively create belonging, it has to go hand-in-hand with psychological safety^[26]. This means that everyone – not just those who share characteristics with the majority or the leaders – feels they have a voice and are listened to. A workplace where people feel nervous about raising concerns, are worried about making mistakes, or feel there is a lack of transparency is one that is lacking in psychological safety.

References

1. ^{^} fundamental human need (www.taylorfrancis.com)
2. ^{^} meaning to our lives (journals.sagepub.com)
3. ^{^} individualised (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
4. ^{^} like a family (www.theatlantic.com)
5. ^{^} accepted and included (www.talentinnovation.org)
6. ^{^} meaningful (hbr.org)
7. ^{^} connected (www.forbes.com)
8. ^{^} aligns with our purpose (theconversation.com)
9. ^{^} performance (journals.aom.org)
10. ^{^} search of better belonging (www.mckinsey.com)
11. ^{^} likely to leave (www.researchgate.net)
12. ^{^} physical injury (www.science.org)
13. ^{^} negative health impacts (journals.plos.org)
14. ^{^} leading to (grow.betterup.com)
15. ^{^} to work harder (www.hrmagazine.co.uk)
16. ^{^} full line-up of speakers (howthelightgetsin.org)
17. ^{^} think about and engage with work (uob-my.sharepoint.com)
18. ^{^} may withdraw (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
19. ^{^} more productively, at home (www.businessnewsdaily.com)
20. ^{^} the advantages of both spaces (journals.plos.org)
21. ^{^} major barrier to belonging (www.personneltoday.com)
22. ^{^} organisations that are more diverse (www.achievers.com)
23. ^{^} greater productivity (www.mckinsey.com)
24. ^{^} profitability (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)
25. ^{^} diversity distribution (www.mckinsey.com)
26. ^{^} psychological safety (www.chieflearningofficer.com)
27. ^{^} Olga Strel/Shutterstock (www.shutterstock.com)
28. ^{^} performing different identities (www.huffingtonpost.co.uk)
29. ^{^} codeswitching (psychcentral.com)
30. ^{^} burnout (www.sciencedirect.com)
31. ^{^} employee resource groups (archive.hshsl.umaryland.edu)
32. ^{^} recognised and rewarded (employeebenefits.co.uk)
33. ^{^} email from a manager (www.gallup.com)
34. ^{^} our colleagues (www.tandfonline.com)
35. ^{^} Get discounted tickets here (howthelightgetsin.org)