Belonging Part 2: Three Challenges for Inclusive Work Cultures and Solutions That Make a Difference

Constructing an inclusive workplace is a complicated process. As a leader, there are numerous components to consider when creating a culture of belonging in your organization. First, I explored why belonging is so important. Now, I’ll pinpoint the top three obstacles you must overcome, especially in a hybrid environment. But first:

What Is a Hybrid Work Environment?

A hybrid work environment is a combination of traditional and remote work. This model is characterized by:

• Extending options to employees based on needs and job requirements.
• Using communication tools to connect on-site and remote workers and hold online meetings.
• Having policies that outline how often employees can work from home.
• Offering advantages, including increased productivity, better work-life balance, and reduced commutes.

The emergence of a hybrid work model during the pandemic assisted in upholding a sense of stability. While this new approach provides certain advantages, there are also some concerns about feeling included and part of the team.

Three Challenges to Fostering Belonging in Hybrid Workplaces

Challenge # 1: Demonstrating Empathy

Demonstrating empathy is the first stumbling block to cultivating a sense of belonging when you engage in hybrid work. Our desire for connection and support makes it harder to understand each other when technology creates a physical and emotional divide. For example, suppose you have a new co-worker who needs help adjusting to the workload due to their limited experience. After some time, they become withdrawn and less enthusiastic about the job. How can you relate to this experience? How could you engage this co-worker in meaningful conversation that gets to the heart of their challenges while also making them feel valued? What would you say?

Solution:

We can enhance our ability to empathize with practice, such as creating cognitive room for others. Eric Mosley’s article in Forbes speaks of empathy as a business advantage: enabling product teams to design better products and team members to understand and help colleagues. It also promotes loyalty, boosts recruiting efforts, positively affects brain chemistry, and lets people know they are valued. One of my favorite resources on this topic is Brene Brown’s video, which explains how we can express empathy for others through words and body language.

Challenge # 2: Inclusive Communication

The second major challenge to fostering belonging in a hybrid work environment is communication. If you can count on more than one hand the times you were left out of a team decision because you were teleworking and “no one knew where you were” — that’s a problem. Remote employees can easily feel left out and must work harder to form authentic connections with their co-workers. They may also be overlooked or have successes ignored because of the belief that if they aren’t seen, they aren’t working.

Solution:

To overcome this obstacle, leaders must put “inclusive” communication first. Start by assessing a sense of belonging amongst employees. The Belonging Barometer is an effective tool to help measure belonging across several life domains. Results from this measure will inform where to focus your inclusion efforts. I will cover this in more detail in Part 3 of this series.

Leaders should also ensure all employees are involved in critical conversations to model inclusion. For example, create accessible meeting platforms and feedback loops for all employees to provide input through email, chat, surveys, meetings, and team discussions. Allow quieter, more reserved employees opportunities to voice their thoughts and needs in one-on-one meetings or written communication.

Challenge # 3:  Maintaining Organizational Culture and Climate

The third major challenge is maintaining an organizational culture and climate that values belonging. What is organizational culture, anyway? And how is it different from organizational climate?  

Organizational culture consists of beliefs, values, practices, and ideas upheld by the company. Organizational climate reflects the emotions created by that culture. Remote workers may feel disconnected from team values in a hybrid environment, leading to a lack of motivation and turnover. To avoid this, you must be an inclusive leader. Deloitte’s six signature traits of inclusive leadership provide an invaluable roadmap, which I’ll explore in Part 4 of this series.

Solution:

Address these challenges by identifying ways to reinforce organizational culture and values, especially in a virtual setting. For instance, viable approaches include activities that encourage virtual collaboration for all employees, regular surveys to measure the level of inclusion, and offering training and educational opportunities that promote belonging and inclusivity. Ensure the organization’s mission statement prioritizes inclusion and belonging and is embodied in the behaviors and attitudes of executive leaders, middle managers, and front-line staff at all levels.

If you missed my first post, you can check it out here. Be sure to watch for Part 3 of the Belonging series, exploring the metrics used to measure a sense of belonging.

Shakima “Kima” Tozay is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker whose government career spans over 15 years, beginning in the U.S. Navy. Kima has dedicated her career to serving the military community in various roles across diverse settings and agencies.  Her current position is as a Medical Social Worker serving Veterans. She is also a Social Work doctoral student at the University of Alabama. Kima is a Certified Diversity Professional (CDP®). She also holds certifications in Executive Leadership from Graduate School, USA, and a certificate from Stanford University in Leveraging Diversity and Inclusion for Organizational Excellence. Connect with Kima on LinkedIn.