I’m Angie Cripps, and I work in Provar’s human resources department as a coordinator and recruiter.I have worked in human resources for over 15 years, focusing mainly on recruitment. Interacting with and assisting others is my passion. My daily responsibilities include ensuring the welfare and satisfaction of my employees.
I think it’s fair to say we all hope to fit in at work, especially as a new employee. We socialize despite having other commitments. We pretend to be interested in subjects we don’t care about and use jargon or language we don’t usually use to feel like we belong. It’s only human!
But what does “belonging” even mean? It pertains to the acceptance, comprehension, acknowledgment, and trust one experiences. That pertains to the collective participation in a greater entity. I value the sense of significance that my contributions have. Nearly all of us believe belonging at work is crucial—it makes us happier, healthier, more motivated, and more productive. However, many don’t feel truly accepted. Office politics, a non-inclusive culture, an unsupportive team, poor leadership, lack of training, or other factors can contribute to this feeling. The good news is that companies can take charge of doing something about it by instituting carefully planned belonging initiatives.
At Provar, we have many initiatives, including a #belonging channel in Slack, the communication platform we use to connect and share company-wide news. In this channel, we run monthly themed sessions for our employees to raise awareness, share experiences, and connect. Tristan Lombard, Director of Community, launched this initiative, so I contacted him to provide more information on its beginnings and the other belonging initiatives he is working on in conjunction with our HR team.
Angie: Why did you set up the #belonging channel?
Tristan: We know from organizational studies that 40% of people feel isolated and alone at work (HBR, 2019). The result is often lower with organizational engagement and productive collaborations with cross-functional global teammates. But you don’t have to be a former social worker and community builder to know that it makes sense for your business to create an internal community culture you want to belong to! Belonging is essential for your business and, more importantly, for the underrepresented and diverse-lived members of our global community.
Angie: Why should we focus on belonging?
Tristan: This is my third time working at a tech company and initiating a belonging community program. I have learned much from the people I’ve worked with about their sense of belonging. This is not only about the business. It’s also about doing the right thing while building community across your team. As noted in a recent research study by Deloitte, belonging can lead to a 56% increase in job performance, a 50% reduction in turnover risk, a 167% increase in employer net promoter score, 2x more employee raises 18x more employee promotions, and a 75% decrease in sick days. The numbers speak for themselves.
Angie: What does belonging look like in practice?
Tristan: Belonging in practice starts before a formal program. Create a Slack channel with an internal leader facing parenting challenges and seeking connections with other parents. Help a remote employee who likes New Age music and wants to inspire others but is unsure how to start. Arrange a virtual coffee date for a Black colleague who feels their ideas aren’t heard or valued by white male executives. It’s partnering with HR leaders who get it and care (we are fortunate to partner with inclusive leaders like Lisa Lee, Director of HR at Provar, and the Provar Community).
Angie: Who is belonging for?
Tristan: Belonging is for everyone, and while sometimes challenging conversations arise, we’re all better for them together.
Angie: What does belonging cover?
Tristan: While it varies per organization, it starts with global testing and inclusive experimentation. For example, whenever I join an organization, the first thing I do as a community builder is see what Slack emojis are available in the org. Are there emojis in your org that connote appreciation, collaboration, and a little quirky culture? I then deploy those emojis and see who starts adopting them. Connect with your internal leaders who are part of continuous positive change. Reach out to them for a virtual coffee and see what they think is essential. According to a recent Pew Research Center resource, Gen Z often expresses anxiety about the future. A company could celebrate Earth Day by showcasing how its employees contribute to a greener world. In past organizations, we’ve covered topics ranging from mental wellness (the most popular engagement topic) to social justice for our Black and Brown leaders.
Angie: What value does a belonging initiative add to the business?
Tristan: As noted by Harvard Business Review, an organization that authentically (and not performatively) works to create a high sense of belonging was linked to “a 56% increase in job performance, a 50% drop in turnover risk, and a 75% reduction in sick days. For a 10,000-person company, this would result in more than $52M annual savings.” It’s that simple. But most importantly, it’s about the people, your community, customers, and others. We want Provar to be a great workplace where people enjoy being and feel it’s where they want to be. When I look to a North Star for belonging initiatives, I always defer to Maya Angelou and her quote: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Angie: What are your future aspirations for Provar’s belonging initiatives?
Tristan: I am grateful to Lisa Lee, Angie Cripps, Neelam Sharma, the rest of the Human Resources team at Provar, and the global leadership team for supporting these initiatives. In addition to our monthly themes, we will continue finding ways to make a real and positive impact in our organization and the larger tech community. We will do this in a variety of ways, from championing initiatives like our wildly successful Provar Gives Back campaign, a month-long initiative of volunteerism in our Provar teammates’ local communities, to our continued support for Salesforce and software quality leaders from diverse backgrounds in our Provar Community Programs, to building an inclusive, curious, and compassionate community at Provar!
Angela Cripps, HR Coordinator and Recruiter at Provar contributed to this blog post. For more information on joining Provar’s ever-growing team, please visit our job openings board.
