Acronyms have a way of growing.

Take LGBTQIA+ as an example. In the 1970s, it was LG for lesbians and gays. B & T were added in the late 1980s and 1990s to include bisexual and transgender. Q was added for queer or questioning, I for intersex and A for asexual. The “+” indicates that the community consists of more than can be contained in the acronym.

Acronyms grow when there is more to be included, more to be done, and a need to reflect the constant evolution of society.

Another acronym that has grown for those reasons is DEIB. It started as D&I for diversity and inclusion. We added E for equity, giving us DEI, and most recently, we added B for belonging.

Adding the “B” to DEIB recognised that a sense of belonging improves employees’ personal feelings of positivity.

Belonging must be part of an overall strategy to deepen inclusion, diversity and equity. Whilst belonging has always been the end goal of the DEI movement, many organisations have fallen short. Therefore, B was added to spell it out and emphasise the importance of DEIB values within an organisational culture.

In this newsletter, I want to explore BELONGING as the newest kid on the DEIB block. But before I do that, we all must be clear about DEI.

DEI

Diversity

This is your workplace's demographic. It refers to the diversity of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, nationality, religion, and many other factors you welcome and encourage within your organisation. You actively work to create a workplace environment that supports and nurtures diverse employees.

Equity

An equitable organisation means you ensure every employee receives equal opportunities, is treated fairly, and has the resources they need to succeed in their job, regardless of their background. You actively work to break down barriers to success. If you hire a person with a disability, you ensure they have all the resources they need to succeed.

Inclusion

This means you treat every employee fairly, with respect and care, and actively work to make everyone feel welcome, valued, and heard.

Give me a ‘B’

DEIB

Every aspect of DEIB is important, but we must be aware of how the four entities come together as one cohesive strategy. If one pillar of DEIB fails, they all do.

Most of us are familiar with DEI, but what about B? How do we make sure the Belonging pillar is strong enough to support the rest?

Belonging

When you create an environment of belonging, every employee feels accepted. They know they are respected and valued. You actively work to build an environment of psychological safety where every employee can bring their whole selves to work. They feel safe to speak up and express themselves without any fear of reprimand or repercussion.

Building the Belonging pillar

Shared purpose

Employees feel they belong when they have a shared sense of purpose, values, and goals.

This happens when the organisation’s values and goals align with those of the employees. When employees feel that their work has meaning, they feel that they belong.

Everyone feels like they belong when there is a shared sense of purpose at a team level
Leaders must communicate the organisation’s purpose, values, and goals and ensure those of the team are aligned.

Psychological safety

Psychological safety is an absolute ‘must’ to create a sense of belonging. When everyone feels safe to bring their whole selves to work and know that when they speak up, ask questions, challenge decisions, or share their feelings, there will be no repercussions or reprimand. Their voice will be heard and valued.

An organisational and team culture of mutual trust and respect must accompany this. Without trust, there is no sense of belonging.

Leaders must establish trust by being transparent, authentic, vulnerable and humble. They must walk the talk and model the behaviours they wish to see in others.

Connection

Leaders must forge genuine connections with their team and encourage team members to do the same.

When discussing connection, I often think of the late Herb Kelleher, co-founder and CEO of Southwest Airlines. He used to tell the story about being on an elevator with the CEO of another company who didn’t even acknowledge two employees who got on the elevator with them. When the CEO asked Herb how he could create a Southwest-like culture, Herb said, “You might start by saying ‘Hello’ to your people.”

Herb also had an uncanny ability to remember names. Many Southwest employees would verify that they met Herb once, met him again a year later, and remembered their names. When he was introduced to someone, he cared enough to learn about them genuinely. This is a real connection.

As a leader, you do not have to remember the names of everyone in the organisation, but it should be a genuine aspiration. I remember frequenting a coffee shop shortly after arriving in Australia. After only a couple of visits, I was welcomed by my name. This was rare in the U.K. It made me feel special and connected.

As a leader, learn about your team members without invading their privacy. Know about their non-work life so you can ask about their children or pets, recent or planned holidays, favourite sports team’s performance, etc. Put their birthdays in your calendar so you can recognise their special day.

Encourage team members to do the same with each other to build connections.

Social bonds can be created through regular team meetings (virtual, in-person, or blended).

Recognition

If you want your employees to feel like they belong, ensure they feel valued through recognition or positive reinforcement. Read more here.

Empowerment

You can generate a sense of belonging by empowering your employees and giving them the autonomy to get on with the job at hand in their way. You provide direction, but you don’t direct. You make sure they know you are there to provide support and assistance whenever they may need it. You agree on how often you will check in on how they are doing, but you do not micromanage. Micromanagement says,” I do not trust you to get the job done.”

Learning and development

Employees feel they belong when there is an investment in their learning, development, and career path.

Despite the challenging economic headwinds, leaders must ensure they engage with their employees to realise their ambitions.

Leaders must establish clear lines of communication with employees to understand what career progression means to them and what learning and development they need.

Employees want clarity about what training and development is available, their career choices with an employer, and the work-life balance achievable in their roles.

Therefore, leaders must provide frequent and clear feedback, enable staff to realise their ambitions and regularly recognise their contributions.

Empathy

We must all practice empathy.

Empathy is the ability to recognise and understand what others are feeling. Furthermore, it involves understanding the underlying reasons for another person’s behaviour.

It is not sympathy. Sympathy is one-directional – you feel sad for what someone else is experiencing, but you have little comprehension of what that feels like.

It cannot be a buzzword. To have a sense of belonging, empathy must be a cultural principle.

Authenticity

Most of all, to create a real sense of belonging, everything you do must be authentic. You must show genuine interest, concern and care for your employees and each other.

Without authenticity, you may as well pack up your DEIB and head home.

The bottom line

There is also a business case for DEIB. Benevity Impact Labs State of the Workforce DEI report published in April 2023 found that 95% of employees weigh a prospective employer's DEIB offers when choosing between job offers.

87% said they would feel more loyal to a company with a proven track record of prioritising DEIB.

78% said they would not consider working for a company that fails to commit significant resources to prioritising DEIB initiatives.

Recent McKinsey research reveals that the business case for diversity, equality, and inclusion on executive teams is stronger than ever.

There is a 39% increased likelihood of outperformance for those in the top quartile of ethnic and gender representation versus the bottom quartile.

The penalties for low diversity on executive teams are also increasing. Organisations with representation of women exceeding 30% (and thus in the top quartile) are significantly more likely to outperform those with 30% or fewer financially. Similarly, companies in the top quartile for ethnic diversity show an average 27% financial advantage over others.

Organisations must take DEIB seriously and intentionally foster a culture of connection and belonging to realise these benefits.