How to Build a Belonging Habit at Work

Belonging increases engagement and performance

How connected do you feel to other members of your team these days? It can be a challenge to maintain good relational hygiene during difficult or uncertain times, but that’s exactly when you need it the most.

A strong sense of belonging on your team (i.e. a tight team connection) can work wonders for collective intelligence & engagement. And feeling lonely in your work life is not only a gloomier way to go through your days, but it can have serious consequences on your performance too.

Build belonging through a positive feedback habit

In times like these, it’s more important than ever to strengthen the bond you have with your teammates. One easy way to do that is by offering thoughtful praise to your coworkers. Many of us have a terrible habit of staying silent when it comes to positive feedback, which is a missed opportunity for connection.

To counteract this tendency, we’re challenging you to build a new belonging habit: carve out 5 minutes of your day to send at least 1 person you work with positive feedback.

Use Peoplism’s compliment tic-tac-toe to get ideas flowing for traits you’re grateful for in your teammates. Then, be sure to elaborate on a few times a team member has shown this trait. Feedback and praise are most effective when given with concrete examples.

Not sure exactly what to say? Try something like "Hey [Colleague], just wanted to send you a quick thank you for being our team’s biggest goalie. You never ever let anything fall through the cracks and I can’t imagine how we’d get everything done to such a high level of quality without your amazing efforts. [Add elaboration & examples].”

Bonus points for giving 3 compliments in a line and completing tic-tac-toe!

Extra bonus for finding something positive about someone you don’t have the best work relationship with and sending them a compliment. Who knows what the result might be?

Interested in more ideas on how to build belonging on your teams? Peoplism offers science-based, behavior-changing Managing for Belonging training. Learn more here.