What exactly is belonging in the workplace?
Organisations should develop middle managers to become "culture ambassadors" to improve a sense of belonging among employees, according to a new white paper.
The paper, released by the Achievers Workforce Institute (AWI), underscored that managers are crucial to creating a sense of belonging to their teams.
"Employees who say their manager is effective are twice as likely to feel a strong sense of belonging so AWI suggests focusing on empowering managers to drive belonging as this could have impressive ripple effects throughout your organisation," the paper read.
To create "culture ambassadors," AWI said organisations should prepare their middle managers with tools, resources, and budget for culture training.
"From training on values-aligned communication to team-building templates, the key is to make it easy for managers to demonstrate culture and value-aligned behaviour," the paper read.
What is belonging?
Natalie Baumgartner, chief workforce scientist at AWI, said their organisation defines belonging as an "experience of connection, security, and community."
"It's about feeling at home in one's place, without reservation," Baumgartner said in the report.
The chief workforce scientist added that focusing on belonging can have an "incredible impact" on individuals, teams, and organisations.
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"Developing a belonging strategy and supportive tactics to enhance employees' sense of belonging ensures a happier, healthier employee population - driving business results that quickly surpass the competition," she said.
The white paper from AWI further explores what belonging looks like for various groups in the workplace. Grab your free copy here.