Team members are looking for more than just a paycheck in the modern employment market. They want to feel valued, grow their skills and be part of something bigger than themselves. They want a sense of belonging in their organization.

To address these needs, workplace culture has to change. Leaders need to take the initiative to start shifting their office environments. They should offer more support and development opportunities for their employees and foster employee engagement through social interactions, collaboration and cohesiveness among the team. 

Creating this culture of belonging in your organization is no easy task. It requires vision, strategy and effort from the entire leadership team. In this blog, we cover six ways you can build this culture in your company and promote a meaningful employee experience. 

Create a Clear Vision

Everything in your organization starts with a clear vision. People are drawn to leadership that shares their values and has a plan to further those ideals both in the company and community. With a clear vision, you can easily communicate who your organization is and what you aim to achieve.

An effective vision makes employees feel like they’re part of something bigger than themselves. To create a vision team members can resonate with, it needs to have these four characteristics:

1. Clear enough for people to understand what you hope to achieve and what you value most as an organization.

2. Compelling in that it inspires teams to want to be part of your future and work toward the success of the entire organization.

3. Aligned with your organization’s long-term goals.

4. Strategically positioned to address business initiatives that help you build a culture of belonging.

With a clear vision at the forefront of your organization, you can align your efforts so you’re always fostering inclusive cultures people are excited to be a part of.

Meet People’s Leadership Needs

When people consider joining an organization, they’re looking for the answers to 4 important questions:

1. Do you know me?

2. Are you for me?

3. Can you help me?

4. Are you consistent?

Employees are looking for leadership that can answer “yes” to each of these questions, initially and in day-to-day operations. These criteria are paramount to an employee’s physical, mental and emotional well-being within an organizational culture. 

As a leader, you can demonstrate your dedication to knowing team members by taking an interest in each person’s personal and professional goals. As you learn about your employees, you can start helping them find ways to develop the skills they need to achieve their goals. 

A simple way to show you’re for team members is to allow a work-life balance that fits each person’s situation. The pandemic switch to remote work put a particular emphasis on balance and left even in-office employees demanding more flexibility in their roles. Acknowledging that there are boundaries between professional and personal and respecting those boundaries is a huge step in creating a culture of belonging in your company.

A simple way to boost employee engagement and show you’re dedicated to helping them succeed is to offer professional development opportunities. It could be displaying a webinar in the conference room, paying for an eCourse or even hosting a speaking event. These efforts all show team members you’re willing to invest in their growth and help them reach their goals.

Above all, however, leaders must be consistent. This is the most important part of building a company culture employees feel safe in. When you’re consistent, your team knows what to expect from you and they trust you to lead them in the right direction.

Encourage Connection

First and foremost, new team members want to feel welcomed in your organization. They want to know your company is a place where they will be accepted for their authentic selves. So instead of showing people straight to their desk to watch onboarding videos on their first day, encourage the interpersonal aspects of their work.

Give new hires a tour of the office and introduce them to other members of their team and people in other departments. If they’re a remote or hybrid employee, you can even do this via a few Zoom calls. Additionally, encouraging them to set up time to get to know people around the office is a great way to show the company strives to make everyone feel welcome and connected to the core mission.

You can also encourage teams to socialize outside of work. This might be team building exercises, team retreats or even just a Happy Hour where everyone plays a game or relaxes after work. Creating this connection to a larger group can improve employee’s mental health, create a strong sense of loyalty and help build a culture of belonging.

Prioritize Constructive Feedback

Part of supporting team members’ overall wellness is protecting their psychological safety. This means keeping negativity and hostility out of your organization. When people are constantly confronted with frustrated coworkers, angry leadership and demeaning feedback, it can create significant mental stress and bring down the morale of your entire team.

Instead, create a culture of constructive feedback that’s focused on growth. When team members present problems, encourage them to also present solutions. This helps to teach your team how to think like leaders and solve problems on their own. 

If you notice an employee or team that is consistently negative, it’s important to address that behavior immediately. Bring them in for a meeting and discuss what’s bothering them and potential solutions. Be sure to make the person or team part of implementing the solution instead of just handing down orders. This helps empower them to overcome hurdles in the workplace and learn to adjust their behavior and attitude for the better of the organization.

It’s the leader’s job to set an example in the office. You should be a solution-oriented professional who is constantly looking for opportunities to grow or develop your team, even in difficult situations. This extra effort demonstrates you care about your employees’ happiness and are dedicated to creating a healthy work environment. 

Set Goals and Expectations

Every business leader should know how to communicate clear expectations and help their team members set and achieve goals. This makes people feel seen and supported at work, which cements their feelings of belonging in your organization. 

In your one-on-one or team meetings, dive into professional goals and assist employees with mapping out a plan to reach them. This might include creating a timeline, outlining steps to take or establishing benchmarks that help the team measure their progress.

As a leader, you can also double as an accountability partner. Each time you meet with team members, ask them how they’re progressing and how you can help them keep moving in the right direction. A few ways to further their development include:

• Give tips on how to be more productive or better manage time

• Suggest professional development resources such as books or eCourses that can get them thinking more strategically or in a new way

• Recommend projects or situations that will test their skills and encourage new ones

Showing a personal investment in your team members’ professional success not only develops leaders within your organization but also creates a supportive environment where people can develop their professional skills.

Be Open to Feedback

As you implement these strategies and start transforming your company culture, you need to stay open to feedback. Some things that you thought would be great might not be ideal from the team member’s perspective. Keeping an open mind and ability to adjust when needed is critical when building a culture of belonging.

You can gauge your organizational culture simply by asking employees for their feedback. A company survey is a quick way to gather valuable opinions. You can ask simple questions such as:

• Do you feel supported at work?

• Do you feel like an important part of your team?

• Do you have access to all the professional development tools you need to grow in your career?

• Is there anything more you’d like to see from your leadership?

Some questions can be answered with a scale rating, such as 1-10, but leave room for short answers also. This gives employees an opportunity to express their feelings and explain themselves, which gives you more details about what they need from you.

Leaders must be open to their employees’ feedback to create a company that encourages belonging. Encourage team members to come to you with concerns, questions or ideas about their professional journey or the company culture as a whole. It’s how you’ll learn the areas you most need to improve.

What’s Your Company Culture?

Maybe your company culture is making it difficult to retain top talent, or maybe you just aren’t attracting new employees like you’d hoped. It takes a certain expertise to craft a company vision and translate that into a culture of belonging. Building Champions can help. 

Schedule a call with us to see how we can help you build a Coaching Culture in your company.