Belonging is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as “an affinity for a place or situation” and the Cambridge English dictionary as “to be in the right place or a suitable place,” but what does the sense of belonging mean to you? And, more importantly, how do we
increase one’s sense of belonging?
As humans, we have an emotional
need to affiliate with and be
accepted by those around us
– whether family, friends, or coworkers. But what does it actually
mean to feel like you belong? As a
biracial woman in the workforce, I
have struggled with this much of
my life, unsure where exactly I fit.
Growing up, this meant adjusting
my self-presentation based on
social comparisons centered on
gaining acceptance, attention, and
support.
As a teen and young adult, the
need to belong meant adjusting
behavior attitude, and striving to
conform to standards and norms
of those around me, often times
leading me away from my own
identity. One of the harder lessons
in life to learn, or at least for
younger me, was that the further
away I got from my own identity,
the less and less I actually felt like
I belonged. The more I lost my
identity, the more alone I felt. How
do we create a sense of belonging?
Acceptance and belonging
are cornerstones for building a
foundation in gaining inclusion. One thing is clear, to truly be an
inclusive workplace, we have to
create a culture and environment
of belonging. Individuals who have
inclusive workplace environments
feel respected and appreciated
for their unique characteristics.
This generates a workplace where
employees feel comfortable
sharing ideas and other aspects of
their authentic selves. Which again
prompts the question: How do we
create a sense of belonging?
While I can’t provide an answer for
someone else’s sense of belonging, I can tell you there are steps
we can take individually to
increase awareness for those
to gain a sense of belonging. A
good starting point is to:
- Make an effort: Creating
a sense of belonging
takes real effort. Never
stop putting yourself out
there, seeking activities
and groups of people with
whom you have common
interests, and be willing to
continue to be engaging
with others.
- Be patient: Gaining
acceptance, attention, and
support from others takes
time
- Practice acceptance:
Focus on the similarities,
not the differences, that
connect you to others,
and practice awareness
of remaining open to new
ways of thinking.
A feeling of belonging is
also critical for physical and
mental health and well-being.
Acceptance and connection can help us to identify the
root of feelings and provide
strategies for achieving
belongingness. While we
may not be able to define
what belonging means to
others, I believe that turning
belonging into an action word
is a vital step in how we,
as an agency, increase our
own – and others – sense in
belonging. Representation
and acceptance create a
foundation to build belonging.
Without belonging, we cannot
achieve inclusion.