Strengthening DE&I through a culture of belonging at work

Creating a culture of belonging at work can enhance companies’ diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) efforts and gain better returns, according to Aon’s human capital solutions. The broker said that setting standards and creating programs isn’t enough, and for employees to feel comfortable and welcome at work, they also need to feel a sense of belonging. In a One Brief article on workforce resilience, Suzanne Courtney, associate partner within Aon’s Human Capital Solutions department for the EMEA region, said that many employees in today’s workforce value a healthy company culture more than traditional job perks, and that to enhance employees’ sense of belonging in the workplace, companies must build and communicate a strategy, then hold themselves accountable. “Businesses can’t assume they know what employees want,” she said. “They have to listen to their needs and meet them, which brings an individual-level understanding of their workforce. This gives the organisation the ability to update policies, support mechanisms and processes to change the culture. Then people can feel accepted and included in the workplace.” She noted that belonging is tightly tied to physical and mental health outcomes, and if someone is experiencing a lack of belonging through bad organisational behaviours like sexism or ostracisation, there’s a higher risk for poor physical or mental health. “If we know whether people are wired for belonging, it can help us build more resilience in the workplace, and it can help the business understand what it needs to do to help people deal with situations, complexity and ambiguity,” said Courtney. She noted that one of the core skills that is linked to belonging is the ability to problem solve because people who can cut through complexity, be a good negotiator and deal well with office politics can more easily develop a sense of belonging or bounce back from negative experiences. In terms of challenges, trying to create a culture of belonging, Courtney said they are often driven by regulation. “Some stakeholders find they have to wait until the regulation has improved before the business actually buys into a concept or idea. Recently, for instance, regulation around pay transparency passed within the European Union, which drives a sense of belonging because it encourages paying people in an equitable way. It will help to close the pay gap and create a more equitable workforce and society,” she explained. She also noted that ESG reports are more linked to regulation and factors that companies have to report on. “They often have engagement scores, but they don’t necessarily have belonging scores or a gauge for how people are feeling in terms of the diversity and inclusion initiatives that the business has. Getting more clarity from businesses on what they’re doing at different stages of their employees’ lives or understanding how people are feeling would also give more transparency and help people make better decisions,” Courtney said. She concluded that doing the bare minimum is a risk: “Shareholders hold the business accountable for the promises it makes, or challenge businesses to do more. Our emerging workforce also asks us questions about DE&I and belonging to see if we have a fundamental and good response, so we’re being held more accountable by new employees as well.”

Strengthening DE&I through a culture of belonging at work

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