Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work has become the norm for many. While there are many benefits of remote work, a major disadvantage is the feeling of isolation that may overtake some employees. The conversation of belonging is not restricted to a remote work environment, however, being remote adds an added layer of difficulty.
Belonging in the workplace is not limited to bonding over shared interests or being known amongst your colleagues but according to a research conducted by Coqual, a nonprofit think tank, a sense of belonging at work is based on four factors :
- Being recognised for your unique contributions;
- Feeling connected to your coworkers;
- Feeling supported in your daily work and career development;
- Feeling proud of your organization’s values and purpose.
The question now is, how do we perpetuate this in a space where physical presence is limited.
What is Belonging?
According to research in the Journal of Workplace Learning, belonging is always a situational and dynamic experience. It’s about feeling like you belong right now, through activities, common goals, working together to achieve something, and being proud of your workplace.
We all want to feel like we have a purpose and a sense of belonging at work, and to be treated as individuals rather than numbers on a payroll. Feeling like your organization values your actual, authentic self is what it means to have a sense of belonging.
The Problem of Remote Work and Belonging
Many organizations seem to miss the mark when trying to create a space where employees feel as if they belong. This can be perpetuated by a hyper fixation on the company’s goals rather than the well-being of its employees.
According to Achievers Employee Experience Platform, 64% of HR leaders feel an always-on feedback tool is vital to an engagement listening program, yet only 20% have one in place.
With employees being limited to a picture box on a Slack channel, it is easy to overlook their emotional needs if active feedback channels are not implemented. However, now more than ever, employees need to feel supported and seen.
How to Foster Belonging in a Remote Work Environment
There is no one size fits all solution to addressing the problem of employees finding a sense of belonging while engaging in remote work, however, if the pandemic has taught us anything, it has taught us to be adaptable.
The first step to demonstrating adaptability would be to give employees at all levels of the business the opportunity to express their ideas and feedback. Upon receiving this feedback, it is important as a company to prioritize active listening to ensure the needs of employees are met.
In this case, the employees are the experts. Being willing to adapt to their needs as an employer is one of the major solutions to fixing the problem. Regular and structured listening is critical to helping employees feel heard, from employee surveys to one-on-one check-ins.
Listening to your staff can help them feel like they belong by creating a culture in the workplace where employees feel as if they can share their concerns openly. Also, employees who believe their opinions are acknowledged are more likely to feel empowered to perform at their best.
Creating spaces of belonging in a remote workplace is not as hard as it may seem, all it takes is listening and implementation. The team at iHealthOx is also here to guide you along the way.
If you need guidance with improving your remote work environment, chat with our iHealthOX Care Team to get started.
Sources :
https://coqual.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/CoqualPowerOfBelongingKeyFindings090720.pdf
https://ocul-crl.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/openurl?institution=01OCUL_CRL&vid=01OCUL_CRL:CRL_DEFAULT&url_ver=Z39.88-2004&url_ctx_fmt=info:ofi%2Ffmt:kev:mtx:ctx&url_tim=2022-05-04T18:06:25Z&rft.genre=article&rft_id=info:ofi%2Fnam:urn:ISSN:1366-5626&rft_id=info:doi%2F10.1108%2FJWL-06-2018-0081&rft.issn=1366-5626&rft.atitle=Belonging%20at%20work:%20the%20experiences,%20representations%20and%20meanings%20of%20belonging
https://www.achievers.com/blog/employee-engagement-statistics/
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