You can’t improve belonging if you can’t measure it.
Most organisations measure engagement. Satisfaction. Retention.
But they don’t measure belonging.
And belonging is the foundation everything else is built on.
Here’s a belonging assessment that actually works. Not a survey. A conversation that reveals whether people feel they truly belong.
Baumeister’s Research on belonging shows it’s distinct from engagement. You can be engaged at work but not feel like you belong.
This assessment helps you see what that difference is in your organisation.
The Belonging Assessment Questions
Can you bring your whole self to work? Do you feel like you have to perform? Or can you be authentically you?
Do people know your story? Have they asked where you’re from? What shaped you? What you value? Or do they just know your job description?
Do your contributions get acknowledged? Especially the quiet ones. The emotional labour. The behind-the-scenes work.
Do you have genuine friendships here? Or just professional relationships?
Do you feel like your difference is valued? Or tolerated?
Is your voice heard in decisions that affect you? Or do you feel like things are decided without you?
Would you invite your family to events here? Do you feel like this is a place you want to bring the people you love?
Do you feel like you matter? Beyond your productivity?
Score: How many of these got a yes?
6 to 8: Your people feel like they belong. Keep building on this.
4 to 5: You have some belonging. But it’s fragile. People are on the edge.
2 to 3: People don’t feel like they belong. This is creating retention problems.
0 to 1: People are performing. Not belonging. This needs to change.