Many companies are taking various measures to increase the sense of belonging among their employees. This is because a low sense of belonging can lead to a number of negative effects, and in some cases, even damage the company’s profits.
What exactly is the sense of belonging, and what are the negative effects of a low sense of belonging?
In this article, I will introduce the role and meaning of the sense of belonging in corporate organizational management, the harmful effects of a low sense of belonging, and the key points to enhance the sense of belonging.
What is a sense of belonging?
What exactly does the term “sense of belonging” mean? This section will introduce the meaning of the sense of belonging, its role in companies, and the reasons why the sense of belonging may decline.
The meaning of the sense of belonging
The sense of belonging refers to the awareness of belonging to a group or being a member of a group. The term “group” here refers to not only companies and other organizations, but also families, schools, local governments, countries, etc. The definition is broad.
People with a high sense of belonging have a sense of attachment, interest, responsibility, and self-esteem toward the group they belong to, and an increased willingness to contribute.
Reasons for a low sense of belonging
There are a number of reasons why people may have a low sense of belonging. In particular, the more we feel that we are not needed by the group, the lower our sense of belonging tends to be.
Another reason may be that the management philosophy and vision are not well understood by employees. When employees are not able to fully utilize their skills and abilities and are not able to contribute as much as they would like, their sense of belonging is often low as well.
Furthermore, with the collapse of life-long employment, it is no longer necessary to continue working for the same company throughout one’s life, which is said to be another factor that causes a decline in the sense of belonging.
The main reason for the decline in the sense of belonging is that people do not feel that they want to contribute or that they are attached to the company they belong to.
The harmful effects of a low sense of belonging
What are the benefits of a low sense of belonging to a company? Here, we will introduce the negative effects of a low sense of belonging.
Lower employee motivation
As their sense of belonging decreases, their motivation in their work may also decrease. This is because their motivation to contribute to the company will be impaired and they will not have the ambition to accomplish their work.
This can lead to a lack of individual initiative, which in turn can lead to a decline in performance and work efficiency.
Less communication
With a low sense of belonging, communication is more likely to decrease, such as “avoiding relations with people in the company”.
They will have fewer opportunities to engage not only with their colleagues but also with management and superiors, which will further reduce their sense of belonging.
This is probably due in part to the fact that management visions do not permeate the minds of employees and they are only “doing” their jobs.
Higher turnover rate
The lower the sense of belonging, the higher the turnover rate and the greater the impact on human resources. “This is because they lose the desire to continue working and start thinking about changing jobs.
In addition, negative feelings may spread to those around them, and the number of employees who leave their jobs may increase in a chain reaction.
As a result, the working environment will worsen, and the loss of employees’ sense of belonging will be a great disadvantage for companies.
Effective ways to increase the sense of belonging
In order to increase the sense of belonging, it is necessary to improve the job satisfaction of employees. What specific measures can be effective in this regard?
Here are some examples of initiatives that companies can take to increase the sense of belonging, as well as some key points.
Inner branding
Inner branding” is an effective way to improve employees’ sense of belonging. Inner branding is a method of communicating management philosophy and vision to all employees in order to motivate them to contribute.
Inner branding, if done correctly, can be an opportunity to deepen the understanding of your company. Another benefit is that it makes it easier to understand how your work affects the company.
If you can feel that you are contributing to the company, your sense of belonging to the company will also improve.
Providing opportunities for employees to communicate with each other
In order to increase the sense of belonging, it is recommended to create opportunities for communication among employees. For example, it is effective to create opportunities for interaction across departments, such as club activities and lunch meetings outside of work. It’s the use of Goalous. With Goalous, you can communicate easily using the photo action and circle functions.
Since it is easy to see what other employees are doing, it is also easy to plan events that you might want to participate in.
Also, Goalous also allows for one-on-one and group messaging, making it easy to ask for advice. This will lead to a greater sense of belonging as communication is activated and organizational cohesion is enhanced.
Increasing employee engagement
In order to improve the sense of belonging, it is also essential to improve employee engagement.
“Employee engagement is a measure of the good relationship of mutual understanding and trust between a company and its employees. In response to employees’ trust and willingness to contribute, the company needs to have a reciprocal relationship with them by providing appropriate evaluations, rewards, and a comfortable working environment.
Since employees receive a return on their contributions to the company, a virtuous cycle occurs in which their motivation to contribute increases. You can see how important employee engagement is in improving the sense of belonging.
Colorkrew, the provider of Goalous, has an HR assessment webinar that explains how to improve engagement and what to look for.
To register for the seminar, please visit here.
What is the single best way to improve organizational engagement?
Summary
A sense of belonging is an important factor that influences the willingness to contribute and motivates employees.
In order to increase the sense of belonging, it is also effective to provide a comfortable working environment as compensation (return) for contributions from the perspective of employee engagement.
I hope that you will use the information in this article to improve your employees’ sense of belonging.
