Dr Lee Waller
February 6, 2025
When our sense of belonging is threatened in the workplace, it can have adverse consequences, not just at an individual level, but for teams and organizations at large.
Our need to belong dates back hundreds of thousands of years and has helped to ensure the survival of our species. Today, it remains fundamental to people’s well-being.
Professor Lee Waller’s research sheds light on the modern-day impact that our sense of belonging (or lack thereof) has in the workplace, and what leaders and organizations can do to promote belonging among their people.
What can leaders and organizations do to protect people’s sense of belonging?
Keep an active awareness of the people who are at high risk of feeling different – new people, those on smaller teams, the lone woman in a team of men. Having an awareness allows you to be proactive in helping.
Help people see for themselves the value that they bring. Our sense of not belonging is triggered if we feel we aren’t contributing.
Create opportunities for people to collaborate and socialize. Quality relationships and empathy allow people to recognize what they have in common, rather than focusing on contrast.
Prioritize psychological safety and inclusivity in your workplace. Belonging simply isn’t possible without these present.
Leadership has a key role to play in promoting belonging in the workplace. Find out more detail in the video above, and read more about Waller’s research into belonging at work here.
Meet the expert
)
Lee Waller
Professor of Occupational Psychology at Hult International Business School
Lee specializes in helping leaders to develop a team and organizational climate that will maximize engagement and performance through fostering a culture of belonging, inclusion and psychological safety.
She works with leaders to develop their individual self-awareness and intrapersonal skills, supporting leaders to become the best of themselves at work by developing an awareness of their strengths and their individual leadership style. She also works on range of leadership skills including inclusive leadership, influencing, coaching, and DEIB.
)
)
)
