Have you ever felt like you didn’t belong in a certain setting? Or have you ever questioned whether you “fit" at a specific job? It’s probably safe to say that most of us have at some point—and more often than we’d like to admit. Questioning one’s sense of belonging can quickly lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness—especially when you consider the ever-growing virtual work landscape.
“The Surgeon General came out with a report within the last two weeks. The report was titled Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation and outlines five essentials for mental health and well-being,” says Jina Etienne, CPA, CEO of Etienne Consulting and expert on inclusion in the workplace. “And one of those essentials is to foster a culture of inclusion and belonging.”
According to Etienne, a sense of belonging evolves when sound, proactive practices around inclusion are in place. This equates to cultivating a workplace that provides psychological safety and promotes authenticity. And when you do, the outcome is a sense of belonging among staff, which can lead to improved performance, retaining qualified staff, and higher levels of employee productivity.
Now, let’s take a deeper dive into how inclusion and belonging go hand-in-hand. And how you can build a healthy, inclusive culture to elevate feelings of belonging across departments, roles, and individuals.
Inclusion leads to belonging
Humans are fundamentally social beings, which means the drive to belong is part of one’s DNA. When people feel connected, they thrive. And as more studies look closely at “belonging,” the data shows that organizations where employees feel a strong sense of belonging perform better.
Inclusion, in simplest terms, is defined by an environment that “values, appreciates, and welcomes employees of all backgrounds and diverse characteristics. It does not strive to ignore differences.”
Etienne believes that an inclusive workplace is one where employees feel connected, welcome, respected, and positive. And that when you have this type of culture in place, it breeds acceptance.
Belonging—the desired outcome of inclusion—is grounded in acceptance. It offers the sense that one’s “...uniqueness is accepted and even treasured by their organization and colleagues,” says Etienne. And this is key when you consider that a sense of belonging leads to reduced stress, improved motivation, and psychological safety.
Etienne provides a simple visual to distinguish between inclusion and belonging…
Inclusion is the invitation into the group. Belonging is the outcome of a positive, accepting culture of inclusion.
Etienne encourages leaders to apply the Inclusion Framework to gauge the level of inclusion and belonging among staff and the health of your culture overall. The framework helps identify levels of exclusion, differentiations, assimilation, and inclusion.
Belonging and its value
In another study that spanned a diverse set of industries—The Value of Belonging—statistics show that businesses where employees have a strong sense of belonging benefit greatly. Key stats include:
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56% higher overall job performance.
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50% reduction in turnover risk.
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75% fewer sick days.
“Each one of these stats translates into real dollars. When you just start to measure productivity that results in additional revenue or higher costs associated with absenteeism, right there you can start to see the difference in profitability when you have an inclusive workplace,” says Etienne.
In addition, people who feel a sense of belonging are:
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Three times more likely to look forward to coming to work.
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Three times more likely to say their workplace is fun.
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Three times more likely to believe people are treated fairly regardless of race.
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Five times more likely to want to stay at their workplace a long time.
All numbers point to the fact that a sense of belonging is key to boosting well-being overall. This includes improved mental and physical health and reduced stress and anxiety.
Fostering belonging
So then, if a culture of belonging is crucial to a healthier work environment, it’s time to get going on this. Etienne shares four elements of a strong belonging culture and how you can start to master each.
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Equity: Focuses on fairness and justice in the workplace. Firms can master this by building trust in leadership. Trust is established by offering equitable opportunities and meaningful and fair distribution of work, having a clear professional development and career mapping program in place, and offering inclusive benefits. Firms must work to clearly communicate and make visible to staff all inclusivity efforts.
“When people perceive that their workplace is fair and supports them, it increases a sense of belonging,” says Etienne.
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Connection: Refers to social connections and interpersonal relationships. Creating a culture of connectedness builds relationships across departments and roles. Etienne attests that you have to apply intentionality in the area of connection, which translates to “...the acts that have to take place to achieve the outcome.”
Establishing connection takes planning, creative thinking, and being intentional about the culture you create. Firms must build a conscious communication program to help build connections across staff as well as extend networking opportunities and promote the need to share stories and experiences. -
Intention: Refers to being deliberate about culture-enhancing efforts—both as an organization and at the individual level. To show true intention, you must be 100% intentional about the workplace language, ensuring that it is positive and inclusive.
“Words have the power to uplift. Words also have the power to tear down,” Etienne adds.
It’s critical to remember that there is no one-size-fits-all terminology, so be open and aware about existing workplace language and work to evolve it to include individuals that span demographics. A culture of inclusivity also requires firms to consider cultural awareness and take part in sensitivity training.
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Wellness: Refers to the mental, emotional, and physical aspects of work and ways to stay healthy in the workplace. This requires leaders to be thoughtful about benefits and provide alternatives for self-care.
“If we come to work stressed. If we come to work afraid to share and to talk, we will not feel a sense of belonging,” says Etienne. “It’s imperative to ensure psychological safety.”
Be sure to implement regular, wellness-driven practices such as supporting open dialogue. Also offer recharging spaces in the workplace and mental health benefits and resources. Alternative self-care perks such as subscriptions to meditation apps is also recommended.
“When we do all these things, we can create a sense of belonging to create stronger teams, boost retention, and enable people to show up whole,” adds Etienne.
Make the move
With the nation mired down in an “epic of loneliness and isolation,” it’s time for change. It’s time to put employees’ well-being first by creating a culture of inclusion and belonging.
The value of doing this is clear to both firms and their people: improved performance and productivity, reduced absenteeism, and elevated levels of work satisfaction and psychological health. The time is now to foster a culture of belonging. It’s time to make the move.
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About Jina Etienne, CPA, CGMA, CDE
CEO, Etienne Consulting
EtienneJina | 
@MissTaxCat
Jina is a licensed CPA with an impressive career that has spanned more than three decades. She’s held positions as an entrepreneur, business consultant, and C-Suite leader.
After a 21 year career in public accounting, she shifted to serving the profession itself, first as Director of Taxation at the AICPA, then onto serving as President & CEO of the National Association of Black Accountants, Inc. More recently, she was Director of Diversity & Inclusion at Grant Thornton.
Today, she runs her own D&I consulting practice specializing in inclusive leadership, conscious communications, cultural awareness, empowering authenticity, and fostering belonging.
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