belonging at work

home office, at home, work-4980353.jpg

Belonging is organic

The second dominant theme that came out during my research is called Authenticity. This pertains to spontaneous, non-transactional, organic moments of connection such as chats before and after meetings, virtual coffee chats, small talk or virtual catch-ups, bumping into someone in the watercooler in a physical office, events that are serendipitous. I used the word Authenticity to code this theme because these are actions that bring out the authentic self in people and relationships.

Belonging is organic Read More »

teamwork, cooperation, brainstorming-3213924.jpg

Is your sense of belonging down? It must be your manager.

Support, referring to a human support network that is mostly led by the line manager in a newly-hired employee’s experience, is the most dominant theme of all four themes. This could also be performed by a buddy, a colleague, a mentor or HR. This theme was most dominant in the interviews with nine of the 20 employees interviewed and the second dominant theme for seven of the interview participants.

Is your sense of belonging down? It must be your manager. Read More »

What works in a virtual workplace?

As the newly-hired employees reflected on their experiences in the virtual workplace, they talked about what is currently working, what is not working, and what they would like to see change.

What works in a virtual workplace? Read More »

laptop, office, hand-3196481.jpg

Where I sourced my belonging data

The main data for this research came from 20 newly-hired employees from Netherlands-based organisations. These employees were hired between March 2020 – June 2021 when working from home was forced to continue in the Netherlands. With on and off lockdowns, these employees were onboarded only virtually and have not met their colleagues face-to-face as they would have before the pandemic hit.

Where I sourced my belonging data Read More »

email, newsletter, email marketing-3249062.jpg

Opportunities in the virtual workplace

Good communication is key for teams to work effectively and efficiently. This is even more important in the virtual workplace setting where the usual practices in a colocated workplace no longer work.

Opportunities in the virtual workplace Read More »

student, typing, keyboard-849824.jpg

Challenges in the virtual workplace

As far as crises are concerned, the coronavirus pandemic is like no other. At the onset of the pandemic, employee trust in leaders was low (Syed 2020). As the workplace moved to a virtual space, traditional command-and-control leadership could not function effectively.

Challenges in the virtual workplace Read More »

Internal communication and belonging

This crisis brought about by the coronavirus pandemic provided internal communication the space to play a strategic role. That insight preceded the pandemic. Dewhurst and Fitzpatrick (2019) refer to internal communication as a behaviour driver and asset grower of an organisation, along with being a content producer and supporter/facilitator.

Internal communication and belonging Read More »

Elements of belonging at work

McClure and Brown (2008) determined three elements that constitute belonging at work through their research. They presented these as time, experience, and self.

Elements of belonging at work Read More »

Belonging starts with Maslow

In Maslow’s pyramid, higher-level needs cannot be completed without fulfilling the lower-level needs first. In the context of this research, achieving one’s full potential is not possible if an employee does not have good relationships with colleagues.

Belonging starts with Maslow Read More »

workplace, workspace, home office-5517755.jpg

Belonging at work: why bother?

Since the pandemic hit, the issue of belonging seems to have become more popular than ever before. It followed the demand for more diversity and inclusion in the workplace. I have reason to believe that not being in the same workspace contributed to this need. But what does research say? How does it really impact our work? Why should anyone who cares about productivity bother?

Belonging at work: why bother? Read More »