The pandemic has shown us that, deep down, we all want to connect with other people. Things like depression, anxiety, and other health problems get worse when people don't connect. So, it shouldn't be surprising that the effects can be substantial when people feel like they belong and are connected to others. This is true not only in our private lives but also in the workplace.

Belonging Is Key To DEI

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is a movement based on the idea that everyone has the right to be treated fairly and take part in the workplace. Unfortunately, even though many organizations believe in the value of DEI and put in much work to create programs and policies that support it, the truth is that many don't see the results of their hard work. For example, a recent article in the Harvard Business Review says that 40 percent of workers today feel alone at work. This is true even though, according to research from Mckinsey & Company, businesses in the U.S. spend nearly $8 billion yearly on diversity and inclusion (D&I) training.

So, why do so many organizations say DEI is essential but don't do anything about it? It's simple: you can make the workforce more diverse, treat people fairly, and even include them, but if they still don't feel like they belong, your efforts haven't been successful. Studies have shown that belonging is one of the best ways to predict how well DEI will work in the workplace. Workers feel like they belong at work and are more connected and committed to their jobs. The real key to DEI and connection is how people think and whether or not they feel like they belong.

Belonging Is Key To Engagement

If people feel more connected at work isn't enough to make you feel like you belong, here's another interesting fact: Belonging isn't just crucial for DEI; it's also vital for getting employees to work hard.

Now things start to get interesting. Studies have shown that organizations with high levels of belonging also have above-average employee net promoter scores, which measure employee satisfaction and ambassadorship and are known to be related to employee engagement. These same organizations also see improvements in retention, plans to stay, and measures of how well teams work together. All of these are important to organizations and affect their bottom line. But this should make sense on its own. People are more likely to help each other and the organization's goals when they feel like they belong and are a part of it.

But this is probably one of human resources' most significant blind spots. Most organizations haven't yet realized how important belonging is to employee engagement, so they don't assess it on their engagement evaluations. Or else, if they do, it's seen as a measure of employee engagement and isn't usually on a DEI scorecard, which generally only looks at diversity metrics. So we must fix this in the coming year: how DEI and employee engagement are handled separately.

The value of a DEI and engagement strategy that works together

What are the most important points?

1. One of the essential things for an individual or an organization to do well today is to feel like they belong. Not just because the isolation caused by the pandemic has made people want to connect more, but also because people need to feel connected and accepted to feel like they belong.

2. The best organizations will know how important it is to make people feel like they belong and will use an integrated approach to focus on that.

So, even though DEI is usually its field with its measures and goals, with a focus on increasing the number of people from different backgrounds and not on how engaged those people are, I think DEI and engagement experts should work together to look at DEI and engagement more holistically and effectively.

Start out by looking at employee engagement by demographic to see if the employee experience and level of engagement are different for different groups. Then it would help if you looked at how active your most vulnerable groups are. From that point of view, how are you doing? These are the first signs that you might have a problem with DEI.

Then, think about adding a measure of belonging to your engagement survey and, once again, look at how it varies by demographic. Instead of looking at overall engagement or belonging scores, which is what most people do, it's better to look at these measures by demographic to see if you have a DEI problem. This, along with your goals for diverse representation, will tell you if people feel like they belong in your organization and if your efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and engagement are working or need to be changed.

By putting meaningful measures of belonging into your DEI and engagement scorecards, you can align both causes and ensure they succeed. It's time to stop measuring progress by what we do because doing something isn't enough if it doesn't work. Instead, let's set a higher standard for ourselves and our peers and judge ourselves based on how our efforts make people feel like they belong. If we don't figure out how to make people feel like they belong, we might miss the mark for DEI and employee engagement.

Image courtesy of Sandy Millar @sandym10

JIM IS PRESIDENT OF WOODS KOVALOVA GROUP

Jim has a passion for accelerating talent across organizations. While this passion has fueled his work in leadership assessment and development, it has crystallized in the area of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. 

Jim's experience spans a broad range of industries, including public, finance, consumer, retail, pharma, industrials, and technology. 'Organizational & people agility,' 'design thinking,' and 'digital transformation' are some of the critical themes Jim works with clients across the globe.

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His consulting experience includes assessing, training, coaching, and developing leaders. In addition, he has delivered work in defining competencies and success profiles, designing and conducting assessment centers, integrating talent analytics, and designing and facilitating development roadmaps.

Jim is a certified coach and facilitator for Woods Kovalova Group's virtual leadership assessment and development tools, including leadership accelerators, and WKG Potential. Jim holds an MS degree in organizational development and human resources. He served as an adjunct professor at Villanova University; taught fifth-grade math and science.