03 May We Belong!
“It was love at first sight!”
“I knew they’d be right for the job the moment they stepped into the interview room.”
Aren’t human beings amazing? We lay our eyes on someone and within mere seconds we have analysed and concluded whether:
- we like them
- we trust them
- we want to be with them
- they are competent
- they belong.
I recently opened a well known social media app and up popped the headline “10 things you can tell about someone within 5 seconds of meeting them”. The article suggested that I could safely judge a person’s character through their facial expression, the way they walked into the room, the style/cleanliness of their shoes… and so it went on.
As human beings, we are constantly analysing people; we are hard wired to do so. It’s what keeps us safe from predators and dangerous situations. In a certain part of our brain, we store lots of information that we have gathered and retained over our lifetime. This information comes from our experiences, upbringing, interactions with others – be it family, friends, prominent figures in our lives, etc. We see the world and other people through our own set of filters and whenever we are faced with a situation where we are required to make a decision, we access this part of our brain to make an ‘informed’ decision.
The snag in all of this is that the information we have stored is biased and the more we collect information, the more we reinforce our bias. Just because a colleague once told you that ‘All Generation Zers want, and expect, to be CEO within 2 years of joining the company!’ and you may have gone on to hear one or two people expressing this, it is simply not true of every Gen Zer in the land. In fact, it’s a sweeping generalisation and it could lead you to have a biased view of an entire generation, leading you to treat someone unfairly, resulting in you discriminating against them.
So what can we do about it?
Well, firstly, we all need to recognise that we do hold bias and we need to challenge that bias. How can we do that? By creating practices, systems and processes that remove bias and therefore avoid discriminating against others. We would all benefit from this: by challenging our bias, we become more open minded to creating relationships with a diverse range of people and backgrounds and experiences. That gives us new ideas, perspectives and opportunities. Yes, it might mean stepping out of your comfort zone, but that’s where we grow and flourish. It’s exciting, it’s inclusive and, ultimately, it creates belonging for those around us.
From a wider business perspective, organisations that foster inclusivity and diversity and encourage people to challenge their bias are more attractive to customers and potential new employees. Gen Z, for example, are demanding more equality from brands. In a recent study, 75% of this part of society say they will boycott companies that discriminate based on race and sexuality in their advertisements. McKinsey and Company has conclusively shown that high gender diversity corresponds to higher profitability and productivity.
So what does our bias have to do with creating belonging? Challenging our bias in order to create equity, diversity and inclusion should not be a tick box exercise or be about ‘doing the right thing’. It’s about creating genuine belonging. Human beings don’t just want to be accepted, they want to belong.
We are all unique. No one should be expected to change who they are in order to feel seen, heard and valued. The Great Place to Work survey revealed that when employees experience belonging, they’re three times more likely to say their workplace is fun and five times more likely to want to stay at their company a long time! This shows how a culture of belonging helps companies increase engagement and retention. “When employees feel part of a supportive community, organizations thrive. Workplace belonging improves job performance by 56%, slashes turnover risks by over half, and decreases absenteeism by over 75%” according to a study by BetterUp.
Brene Brown made an important distinction between just fitting in and truly belonging. ‘Fitting in is one of the greatest barriers to belonging. Fitting in is about assessing a situation and becoming who you need to be in order to be accepted. Belonging on the other hand, doesn’t require us to change who we are; it requires us to be who we are’.
So how do we all play a part in creating belonging? Here are a few tips to get started:-
– Accept that we all hold bias – explore your bias, be conscious of it, challenge it, consider the impact it is having on individuals and groups around you.
– Don’t be too quick to judge – question your first impressions and reactions to people. Unintentional bias happens when we make fast decisions or act in the spur of the moment. Be consciously intentional with your actions and decisions.
– Build relationships – widen your social circle, move around and start up conversations with different people around you. Spend time with people from a range of cultural, ethnic and neurodiverse backgrounds. Listen, learn and build your competence to increase your understanding.
– Be an ally – speak out if you notice others treating people unfairly or with discrimination.
If you are interested in finding out more about exploring bias, as well as in fostering equity, diversity, inclusion and genuine belonging in your team, we deliver ‘We Belong’ workshops. Please get in touch to find out more about how we can support you in these areas.
Posted by Sarah Helm
