Welcome to Edition 2 of the Happier People in Tech blog series. Today we talk about belonging. Belonging is a basic human need. We want to feel part of something bigger than ourselves. Feeling that we belong at work is one of the key drivers for engagement, wellbeing and productivity. It's also a hot topic in tech! So let's look at how you can create belonging through:

1 Positive Strategy

Use team rituals to create belonging

Team rituals are ideal for remote or hybrid teams that want to build a deeper connection among team members and to create a greater sense of belonging. Regular team meetings are the perfect space to introduce shared rituals. Set 2 minutes aside in the beginning of the meeting for members to briefly share in one word (or a very short sentence) what went well. If your team is working toward stressful deadlines or are in the middle of quarter end chaos, a 2 minute breathing exercise or guided mediation could do wonders. As a team, build a little ritual menu to choose from in every team meeting.

Consider adding a team ritual for closing the team meeting as well. Here are some ideas: each member to identify and share one key insight or thought from the meeting, recognising the contributions of another team member during the meeting, or a grounding breathing exercise.

1 Research Highlight

When it comes to employee wellbeing, belonging is the No 1 driver!

Insights from the world's largest work happiness survey found a sense of belonging to be the No 1 driver for employee wellbeing, followed by flexibility and inclusion. Interestingly, compensation is only in the middle of the 12 factors surveyed. In light of the great reshuffle that the tech industry is currently experiencing, this underlines the importance of having a strong wellbeing strategy that supports employee belonging, flexibility and inclusion holistically through evidence-based interventions and leadership training.

1 Random Wisdom

True belonging doesn't require us to change who we are. It requires us to be who we are.

Brené Brown in Braving the Wilderness

Curious how to put these learnings into practice for your team? Meet me for a ☕️ chat to discuss how I can support you!

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