For leaders, every workday brings opportunities to shape the belonging experience for employees by applying inclusive behaviours and norms
Imagine this scenario: Your friend invites you to a party, and you agree to meet there, but she is running late, so you go in alone. And then you stand there, waiting, feeling awkward. And that feeling starts to grow, because you don’t really know anyone, at least not well enough to walk up and chat. The worst part is, no one comes up to say Hi or offer you a drink; not even the host. Everywhere you look, there are groups of two, three or four, lost in conversation and laughing. It starts to feel like you don’t exist. Like nobody can see you. So you shuffle backwards out the front door. Maybe you stick around until your friend shows up, but more likely, you just go home.
What if you experienced these same feelings at work every day? What if you showed up, but didn’t feel seen, heard or included? What if that unwelcoming host was your boss?
[This article has been reprinted, with permission, from Rotman Management, the magazine of the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management]