Many workplaces are choosing to have active conversations about diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, and how they tie into their organizations. DEIB, as it’s often abbreviated, is nothing new and has been around for as long as people have been working together. It’s only in more recent years that the concept has become formalized, studied, and tied to company goals and success metrics.
In one study, 77.63% of participants consider workplace connection important or very important in achieving a good company culture. When employees experience belonging, they naturally want to make connections.
This is in stark contrast to the workplace trend of Quiet Quitting from 2022, where Gallup reported that 50% or more of US workers were mentally and emotionally checking out.
The lack of workplace belonging results in high employee turnover and pervasive hidden costs that come part and parcel with employee disengagement. It all comes down to how you build and promote Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) in the workplace. Don’t forget actually involving employees and bringing them up to speed too, it is a policy that is supposed to benefit them at the end of the day. Organizations thrive when their employees feel appreciated, when they feel like they belong.
This guide will help you better understand what DEIB means, why it’s important, and how to start authentically building programs that effectively address this need.
Choose Your Own Adventure!
What Is DEIB: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging?
DEIB is a simple acronym that stands for:
- Diversity
- Equity
- Inclusion
- Belonging
These four key principles come together to create a framework that can be used to create an workplace for people of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences. Each pillar can be broken down and further defined, as we are about to do, but ideally you want to balance all together to really foster a sense of belonging at work.
Diversity
Diversity refers to both the demographic and, at times, psychographic representation of differences within the organization, such as backgrounds, characteristics, experiences, and viewpoints. The concept of diversity encompasses both visible and invisible factors including but not limited to:
- Gender identities
- Sexual orientation
- Marital status
- Age
- Ethnicity
- Socio-economic status
- Abilities
While racial, ethnic, and gender identity tend to be in the spotlight of DEIB initiatives, it’s equally important to venture beyond them and into less visible facets like age, neurodiversity, and experiences. Even if an employee physically resembles their coworkers, there may be another aspect of their character or history. These experiences will feed into their actions and biases and will help to bring different perspectives to what otherwise might be a homogeneous workplace.
Equity
Equity recognizes that we as individuals have unique circumstances and needs, and ensures everyone has the necessary support and resources to succeed and thrive. As part of this, companies need to actively address and remove structural and systemic barriers that have historically prevented certain groups from achieving their full potential.
A common pushback on equity is that it creates unfair advantages. However, equity is about providing an equal chance of success rather than equal access to outcomes. It’s about leveling the playing field so that everyone can perform at their greatest potential.
Equity vs Equality: While these two terms are often used interchangeably, they project different meanings. Equality means individuals or groups have equal access to resources and opportunities. Equity recognizesthat each person has different starting points and may require different levels of support to reach equal outcomes. Hence, we should strive for equity, not just equality.
As always, things are often easier to picture with an example. Let’s imagine a hospital that provides scrubs to its healthcare practitioners. However, they only do so in one standard size. This is fine for some employees, but many find the scrubs either too big or too small. The hospital is technically offering equality; all healthcare staff have access to the scrubs. However, if they were to be equitable, they would provide scrubs in a range of sizes accounting for all body sizes and types.
The equity vs equality conversations were just starting to take shape when I was an early-career high school teacher in the late 2000s. And during that time, the following image (and many variations of it) emerged to help explain these differences:
As with any image that tries to whittle down a complex debate, this one isn’t perfect. But it gets the point across as succinctly as any image I’ve seen.
Inclusion
Inclusion is the action companies take to achieve and foster diversity. It’s the commitment to creating a work environment where employees of diverse backgrounds and characteristics have access to equal opportunity and fair treatment. In inclusive workplaces, employees feel valued, heard, and seen without judgment. They know that they can be their full selves, and demonstrate this unapologetically.
Belonging
Belonging is the latest addition to the DEI concept. While the concept existed before the global pandemic, emphasis on it and its inclusion alongside Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is a product of the racial and systemic injustices that have been discussed more frequently and openly in recent years.
When we talk about an employee’s sense of “belonging,” we’re referring to the feeling of acceptance and “inclusion” as an integral part of the team. Much like equity vs equality, inclusion vs belonging can be a bit harder to understand, but think of it in these terms:
- Inclusion is an action
- Belonging is the result of that action
Inclusion is about creating an environment where every person feels confident to bring their whole, authentic self to work. A sense of belonging is the personal feeling that comes after inclusion efforts. What makes one person feel like they belong may differ from what makes another person feel the same way. Hence, diversity, equity, and inclusion are the building blocks of belonging, which can be seen as the ultimate goal for DEI strategies like mentoring and employee resource groups.
Why Belonging Matters
Bringing these ideas together, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging are interconnecting concepts that any company can (and should) adopt. An employee engagement strategy that includes DEIB helps lay the groundwork for building an inclusive workplace culture. The goal of DEIB initiatives is to create a workplace where every individual feels valued, respected, and empowered to contribute their unique perspectives and talents to the organization’s success.
Most crucially, DEIB is not a one-time fix to get signed off but requires ongoing efforts and commitments from everyone across all levels of the organization. From business leaders down to interns, everyone needs to work together to create a culture of belonging for everyone. Belonging promotes a sense of trust, safety, and psychological safety, which are essential for building strong and resilient teams and organizations.
In fact, research released by BetterUp shows that workplace belonging is essential for employee well-being. BetterUp found:
- Employees with a high sense of belonging take 75% fewer sick days than employees who feel excluded. These sick days equate to almost $2.5 million worth of lost productivity each year, per 10,000 workers.
- Excluded employees have a 50% higher rate of turnover than employees who feel they belong, costing organizations about $10 million annually per 10,000 employees.
- Employees see 56% increase in job performance when they feel like they belong, resulting in a gain of $52 million per year for every 10,000 employees.
What’s more, the study showed that workers’ careers benefit from a feeling of inclusion. Employees who felt highly connected at work received twice as many salary increases and were 18 times more likely to be promoted in a six month period than people who felt excluded.
Belonging isn’t a touchy-feely topic designed to attract new employees while offering something of value to the old hands. It is a measurable concept that delivers very real results, and it can be tracked across your entire organization, and you can do so through your return on investment, or ROI.
The ROI of Belonging
Ultimately, the goal of DEIB is to create a workplace where every individual feels like they belong and can thrive. But to make that happen, DEIB programs also need to be tied strongly to trackable and visual metrics that show these programs have an overwhelmingly positive return on investment.
The pushback to DEI and DEIB from senior leaders has to do with outcomes. For DEI initiatives, those outcomes are usually seen in two places:
- Increased employee engagement and productivity
- Increased employee retention (or a reduction in voluntary turnover)
Executives often have a hard time understanding or seeing the value in DEIB because HR leaders often don’t know how to measure it. Yet measurement isn’t as hard as it sounds:
- Use software that helps you create and run DEI engagement programs
- Pair your HRIS system with that software
- Track participants with measurable outcomes that are reflected in your HRIS data
- Create reports that identify the dollar figures and metrics executives need to see
By embracing the value of belonging, organizations can create a more inclusive and supportive work environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to contribute their best work. This involves creating a culture that celebrates differences, provides opportunities for growth and development, and cultivates a sense of community and connection among employees.
What are these Metrics we keep talking about? Check out our Mentoring ROI page for more details about how to measure the ROI of mentoring programs, and use our free ROI calculator to see what ROI you can get.
The Culture of Belonging in the Workplace
What does the culture of belonging at work look like? Here’s a story that will help illustrate the benefit and impact of DEIB in the workplace. Feel free to share this narrative as you build the case for DEIB at your company.
When Sofia started her dream job at a large consulting firm, she worried about fitting into a competitive, exclusive industry. Instead, her team welcomed her warmly: taking her to lunch, including her in conversations, and pairing her with a supportive Work Buddy.
She quickly saw that her colleagues valued diversity, celebrated differences, and backed this up with regular inclusion training. Because of that, Sofia felt proud to be part of the team, confident in asking for support, and motivated to stay long-term.
Her experience shows how deliberate DEIB initiatives, from buddy systems to cultural celebrations, can create a workplace where belonging isn’t just a goal, but a lived reality.
What we can easily observe from Sofia’s story is that the company demonstrates a strong commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. That commitment is shown through different DEIB initiatives and programs that foster a culture of belonging in the workplace. From an engagement perspective, because she feels welcomed at the start, Sofia is less likely to quit during the onboarding period and more likely to stay long-term.
What Happens When Employees Feel They Belong?
When employees feel like they belong, it shows up in many different ways. This can include some areas that are critical to the organization:
- Engaging: Employees are more likely to be fully invested in their work and committed to the company’s goals. Employee engagement can lead to higher productivity, creativity, and innovation, which drive business performance and success.
- Contributing: As employees feel valued and recognized, they develop a sense of ownership in their work and contribute their best efforts and ideas to the company.
- Collaborating: Teamwork and collaboration can lead to more effective problem-solving and decision-making processes. When employees feel empowered to share ideas, opinions, and concerns without judgment, they treat one another with respect.
- Providing: With a sense of belonging and ownership, employees go above and beyond in their work, providing excellent customer service, delivering high-quality products or services, and generally being ambassadors for the company.
- Staying: As workers feel connected to their colleagues and the company, retention increases. This can save the company money on recruitment and training costs, as well as help maintain institutional knowledge and expertise.
As long as companies proactively take all the steps to ensure employees engage, contribute, collaborate, provide, and stay, they can spend more time creating meaningful changes and achieving business goals over worrying about employees potentially jumping ship.
How to Create a Sense of Belonging at Work
As tempting as it might be, don’t try to create a sense of belonging at work alone. We all carry our own biases with us that make it impossible to see those blind spots. Internalized biases mean that if we try to create and launch DEIB initiatives with nobody to check our work, huge errors and oversights will occur.
Use the following ideas as a starting point, but confer with a team before launching any new strategies for DEIB:
Foster a culture of psychological safety
Encourage open communication and make it safe for employees to express their opinions without fear of negative consequences. As Sofia’s experience shows, buddy systems and mentorship are a great start to promoting psychological safety at work.
Promote a sense of community
Team building activities and social events are excellent opportunities for employees to get to know each other and collectively develop a sense of community. Even a tiny gesture like a team lunch can go a long way for employee bonding.
Provide opportunities for growth and development
Offer training, mentorship, career advancement opportunities to help employees feel valued and invested in. Identify high potential candidates for leadership early in their careers and set them up for success long before they consider a promotion up to management.
Recognize and celebrate diversity
Apart from formal D&I training and programs, companies can organize events that showcase cultures and traditions, such as food festivals and cultural holiday celebrations. Employee resource groups can also represent different cultures, religions, and identities.
Give regular feedback and recognition
Provide constructivefeedback that focuses on behaviors or actions rather than personal characteristics to help employees understand what they did well and what they can improve on. Recognize their achievements to show appreciation and encourage improvement, ranging from verbal praise and written or public recognition to rewards or incentives and promotion.
Create a flexible and supportive work environment
Flexible schedules, Work-from-Home (WFH) and Work-from-Anywhere (WFA) options, mental health support, and wellness programs are among many initiatives that companies can implement to prioritize employee well-being. Not only can this increase job satisfaction, engagement, and productivity, but it can also help attract and retain top talent.
Lead by example
There are far too many cases of companies failing their DEIB efforts because people in power and authority don’t practice what they preach. Set the tone for a positive work culture by modeling the behavior you expect from employees and create a harmonious and respectful atmosphere.
Fostering Belonging: 3 Key Steps for HR
Belonging should be at the heart of every human capital strategy. It’s common sense for diversity in the workplace—with a human touch.
While most organizations try to create a diverse and inclusive workplace, this does not mean that all employees feel included. Providing a sense of belonging in the workplace gives the employee a feeling of acceptance within a given group. Creating this sense provides an organization with a good opportunity to reinvigorate their inclusion approach and goals.
“Belonging is a key component of inclusion. When employees are truly included, they perceive that the organization cares for them as individuals, their authentic selves. HR can help make that happen,” says Lauren Romansky, Managing Vice President, Gartner. “That’s good for employees — and ultimately improves business performance.”
Gartner’s research reveals that companies with sustainable diversity and inclusion programs show a 20% increase in inclusion. This will translate to better on-the-job effort and employee retention, with the added benefit of higher employee performance.
The three key steps to increasing acceptance are:
1. Eliminate “outsiderness”
Most companies have made great strides in their diversity and inclusion programs. This being said, there is still a portion of employees who feel like outsiders in their own organizations, which causes them to suppress characteristics that make them uniquely different from their peers. Feeling ostracized can be a painful and negative experience, thus not allowing the employees to focus on their work performance.
In order to address this problem, employers should strive to create an environment in which individuality is both noticed and valued. Care for the employees should be demonstrated through routine opportunities for check-ins. Support in the workplace, along with understanding and trust, reduces the likelihood of an individual feeling like an outsider.
2. Bring everyone on board
According to Gartner, 7 in 10 employees say that their organizations fail to inform them of opportunities to promote inclusion in their day-to-day work.
Companies should encourage all employees to value what each person can bring to the table, ensuring everyone’s voice is heard, and to invest in their colleagues’ growth and development. Employee’s input should be included in organizational values to demonstrate that they have a meaningful, equitable role in building a more inclusive workplace.
3. Demonstrate care through benefits and initiatives
Gartner’s research also shows that inclusive benefits and initiatives can increase the feeling of inclusion by 38%. Benefits should be available to all groups, such as a flexible work schedule and emotional wellness program that show employees you care about their needs both inside and outside of work. This sends a strong signal of appreciation that goes a long way to give a feeling of belonging to an employee.
An organization can also hold initiatives such as promoting diversity in succession planning and celebratory events to highlight underrepresented groups (e.g., Black History Month), which are very effective in creating cultures of belonging.
Providing employees with benefits and initiatives that highlight their unique contributions to the organization shows that the company’s success is directly linked to whether or not employees feel a sense of acceptance and belonging in the organization.
One tends to group diversity and inclusion, but each one on its own can have a powerful impact on the organization’s long-term success.
Mentorship: Cultivating a Sense of Belonging
Mentoring programs are among the best strategies available to help create a sense of belonging. Because mentoring programs are social learning engagements, they can also help you solve multiple needs within the organization, including employee development and building a cohesive culture. There are also multiple types of mentoring that you can use, making mentoring highly versatile as a DEIB strategy.
Establish mentoring relationships that focus on shared goals
When establishing mentoring relationships, ensure that the goals of the mentor and mentee align. This helps build a sense of purpose and a shared vision, promoting a sense of belonging and connectedness.
Match mentors and mentees thoughtfully
Take the time to match mentors and mentees thoughtfully, considering factors like interests, career goals, and backgrounds. This can help ensure both parties feel engaged and invested in the mentoring relationship.
Visualize it! Our Mentoring Soundbites videos on matching mentors and mentees should help get you started:
Encourage active listening and open communication
Both mentors and mentees should engage in active listening and open communication. This helps to build trust, establish a sense of mutual respect, and promote a culture of openness, which can contribute to a sense of belonging.
Foster a culture of inclusivity
Ensure that mentoring programs are open to all employees, regardless of their background, experience, or position within the organization. This helps to build a culture of inclusivity where everyone feels valued and supported.
Create opportunities for cross-functional mentoring
Break down silos and promote collaboration by encouraging mentorship between employees from different departments or backgrounds. This way, their shared learning leads to increased creativity, innovation, problem-solving capabilities, and improved communication and teamwork.
The Bottom Line: Help Everyone Belong
DEIB is a continuous journey toward creating a better workplace for everyone; not just a one-and-done exercise for you to tick off and move on from. And that newly-added “B” to DEI can’t be overstated. Although DEI is ever evolving, getting as close as possible to make sure everyone feels they belong at your organization is one of the best retention efforts you can put time, energy, and resources into. The thriving organizations of tomorrow are those who create a sense of belonging today.
Your company’s “Sofia” may be at risk of leaving. Book a demo to learn how MentorcliQ’s software supports bold DEIB ideas and turns them into ROI that even the toughest executives love to see.
