- Download Culture Report•Workplace Culture in 2025 and What it Signals for 2026
Belonging in the workplace is the feeling of being accepted, valued, and supported within an organization, where employees can be their authentic selves and feel confident that their contributions matter. It’s the emotional connection that turns a group of coworkers into a cohesive, purpose-driven team. When employees feel that they belong, they engage more deeply, collaborate more effectively, and help build a culture of trust and inclusion.
For foundational context, see Harvard Business Review: The Value of Belonging at Work and Stanford SPARQ: Insights on Belonging and Inclusion.
Emtrain’s harassment training course is engaging, interactive, and designed to spot and reduce EEO risk.
The concept of belonging has evolved from early inclusion and diversity movements that began gaining traction in the 1960s and 1970s. While diversity initiatives focused on representation, and inclusion on participation, belonging goes a step further — emphasizing emotional connection and psychological safety. The shift became especially pronounced in the 2010s as companies recognized that representation without belonging can leave employees feeling isolated or undervalued.
Research from Harvard Business Review and Stanford University’s Social Psychology Network underscores that belonging directly affects productivity and retention. Employees who feel excluded experience higher stress levels and are more likely to leave their jobs. In contrast, organizations that cultivate belonging report up to 56% increases in job performance and 50% lower turnover risk, according to findings from the Center for Talent Innovation and SHRM.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this focus. Remote and hybrid work blurred boundaries between professional and personal lives, making belonging an even more vital factor in employee well-being. Companies that sustained connection through empathy, transparency, and inclusive communication emerged stronger and more resilient.
Example 1: The Excluded New Hire
A new team member joins a virtual department but struggles to connect. Meetings are dominated by long-standing members, and informal channels exclude them. The result? Lower morale, disengagement, and missed opportunities for innovation.
Example 2: Unseen Contributions
An employee from an underrepresented background consistently contributes ideas but rarely receives acknowledgment. Over time, they begin to withdraw, perceiving that their voice doesn’t matter. This erosion of belonging impacts both team performance and individual growth.
Example 3: Inclusive Leadership in Action
A manager intentionally checks in with each team member, ensures everyone’s input is heard, and celebrates diverse perspectives. This active inclusion fosters belonging and strengthens psychological safety.
To help reinforce these behaviors, Emtrain offers microlearning experiences like Building Belonging in a Healthcare Setting and Monitoring Signs of Exclusion to Create Inclusion — both of which help teams identify barriers to belonging and promote inclusivity in everyday interactions.
Creating a workplace where everyone feels a sense of belonging begins with empathy, listening, and active allyship. Leaders must model vulnerability, invite feedback, and encourage authentic dialogue.
Steps to build belonging:
As noted by Gallup and MIT Sloan Management Review, employees who feel heard and included are three times more likely to feel a strong sense of belonging at work.
For a practical roadmap, Emtrain’s Inclusion Training provides tools to strengthen inclusive habits and address bias in real time.
Building belonging requires consistent, intentional action. Key practices include:
Emtrain’s Culture Skills Framework helps organizations assess how belonging and inclusion evolve over time, offering data-driven insights that guide continuous improvement.
A 2023 Deloitte study found that organizations with high belonging scores see a 167% increase in employee advocacy, underscoring how belonging is both a cultural and business imperative. Supporting data from the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) further illustrates that belonging enhances leadership effectiveness and organizational cohesion.
Belonging is the ultimate expression of an inclusive culture. It transforms workplaces from environments of compliance to communities of care and collaboration. Organizations that intentionally nurture belonging not only boost performance but also strengthen resilience, creativity, and human connection.
To continue exploring how to create environments of trust and inclusion, discover Emtrain’s Inclusion Training and Monitoring Signs of Exclusion to Create Inclusion — practical, engaging experiences designed to help every team member feel they truly belong.
The dynamics between employees can shape a company’s culture in profound ways. A recent incident involving two employees casually conversing in Spanish while a non-Spanish-speaking co-worker stood nearby, eager to participate, is a case in point. The non-Spanish speaker, feeling excluded, later expressed their discomfort to one of the men. This seemingly minor event underscores the subtle but impactful nature of social exclusion in the workplace.
This Emtrain video — Navigating Dynamics: Unpacking Workplace Exclusion and Inclusion Scenarios — explores how everyday interactions can either strengthen or weaken a sense of belonging. It encourages employees to pause, reflect, and choose inclusion through empathy and awareness. Leaders can use it as a discussion starter to deepen understanding of how communication styles and social cues affect team cohesion.
