Inclusion isn’t achieved by hiring alone. While representation has (rightly) become a key metric for progress, it’s only the beginning. For too many organisations, the pursuit of diversity has become a numbers game—one that stops short of true cultural transformation. Tick the box. Publish the data. Move on.
But inclusion without belonging is superficial. It leaves employees from marginalised backgrounds feeling like guests at someone else’s party—invited, but not fully welcomed. If organisations are serious about building equitable workplaces, they must move beyond tokenism and towards cultures where every employee feels seen, valued and safe.
The Belonging Deficit
Despite rising awareness and investment in DEI, the gap between intention and experience remains stark. According to a 2024 CIPD report, 42% of employees from underrepresented groups say they do not feel a sense of belonging at work. Among LGBTQ+ employees, that number rises to 49%.
This matters. Belonging isn’t just a feel-good factor—it drives performance, innovation and retention. Employees who feel they belong are more likely to collaborate, contribute ideas, and remain loyal. When belonging is absent, the cost is high: disengagement, burnout, and attrition.
A Deloitte study found that high belonging scores correlate with a 56% increase in job performance and a 50% drop in turnover risk.
Yet too often, DEI efforts stall at the hiring phase. The focus is on representation—who’s in the building—not on the systems and culture that shape daily experience. That’s where belonging lives: in the day-to-day.
Beyond Performative Practices
Symbolic gestures can’t replace structural change. Rainbow logos in June or social media posts on International Women’s Day are meaningless if employees face microaggressions, pay disparities or inaccessible workplaces the rest of the year.
Belonging requires deep work. It means building inclusive behaviours into management training, evaluating leaders on how they foster psychological safety, and ensuring every policy—from flexible working to performance reviews—has inclusion baked in.
And it’s about creating spaces for difference, not assimilation. Employees shouldn’t have to code-switch, downplay their identity, or conform to a narrow idea of “professionalism” to succeed.
McKinsey’s 2023 Women in the Workplace report found that women of colour are far more likely to experience being interrupted or having their competence questioned in meetings, yet far less likely to have sponsors advocating for them.
Leadership Must Model Belonging
Real change starts at the top. Leadership teams that reflect the diversity of their workforce send a powerful signal. But representation alone isn’t enough—leaders must also model inclusive behaviour and be accountable for the culture they create.
That includes vulnerability. Belonging grows when people see that it’s safe to speak up, to ask questions, to make mistakes. Leaders who create space for honest conversations and act on feedback show that inclusion is more than a KPI—it’s a commitment.
Companies should be asking: How do we measure belonging? Are we listening to lived experience? Are our ERGs supported, or sidelined? Are we investing in allyship that’s active—not performative?
Belonging Is the Business Case
Let’s be clear: belonging isn’t soft. It’s strategic. In a competitive labour market, organisations that fail to create inclusive environments will lose out on talent—especially among younger workers. Gen Z and millennials want to work for employers whose values align with their own. That includes equity, authenticity and empathy.
If organisations want to attract and retain diverse talent, they need to move beyond box-ticking and build workplaces where people stay because they feel they belong—not just because they were hired.