Build belonging by focusing on inclusion

Today’s polarized environment has led some companies to shift their diversity, equity, and inclusion messaging to emphasize the concept of belonging.¹ Yet for organizations to create workplaces where everyone can truly belong, contribute, and thrive, we need to ensure we don’t lose sight of the big picture: inclusion.

What is belonging?

Belonging is about feeling as though you are part of a group or that you can bring your whole self to work.² For businesses to excel, ensuring that employees feel as though they belong is critical. Because belonging is a feeling that results from the experience of being included at work³ and stems from multiple factors,⁴ it is not a synonym for inclusion.⁵ Most organizations recognize this and are intentional about including the word in the name of the business function responsible for fostering these experiences, usually a variation of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. In order for organizations to increase a sense of belonging for their employees, they must invest in the more nuanced experience of inclusion.

What is inclusion?

Inclusion is multifaceted, as Catalyst research has shown. It involves feeling as though you're a valued member of the organization, that you’re trusted to contribute to business results, that you can be your authentic self, and that you have the psychological safety to hold differing views, take risks, and make mistakes without worrying about negative repercussions.⁶ This comprehensive experience of all of the facets of inclusion drives higher employee engagement, innovation, intent to stay, and team problem solving, all of which translate to benefits for businesses.⁷

Business consequences

Companies leave money on the table when they fail to deliver on the promise of inclusion. Research by Accenture documents a significant disconnect between leaders’ perceptions of employees’ experiences at work and employees’ actual experiences. The number of employees who say they don’t experience inclusion at work is 10 times higher than leaders estimate.⁸ Closing this gap even by half would result in over $3 trillion for organizations globally.⁹ Still not sold? Take a look at our most recent findings on workplace inclusion, which paint a sobering picture including that almost one-half of employees don’t experience inclusion at work. Women from marginalized racial and ethnic groups are the demographic group least likely to report experiencing inclusion.¹⁰