Boosting the Role of Belonging in Leadership Development

BY Carrie Snider | November 06, 2023

On the outside, Brian McGrath appears to be a typical lawyer. Male, white, suit, briefcase. The thing is, not everything about a person is visible. And when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), assumptions can be damaging. 

McGrath and four other panelists spoke about DEI and workplace belonging at From Day One’s Manhattan conference in a session moderated by Kadia Tubman, managing editor for DEI at Insider. 

Until you get to know him, you wouldn’t realize that McGrath is in an interracial gay marriage. Like many in underrepresented groups, he’s been in work places where he hasn’t felt like he could truly be himself. Which is why he was so passionate about building a diverse firm of 120 lawyers where he’s a partner at Hinshaw & Culbertson, but also creating an environment where they feel like they belong.

When he goes to work, he feels free to be who he is, and so do others. It’s important to work on DEI initiatives at your organization, but it’s another thing entirely for employees to feel they truly belong. How can leaders bridge that gap?

“We can't let the pace and press of business get in the way of something as important as DEI, because at the end of the day, if you fail in DEI, you're going to be less successful in the business,” McGrath said.

That’s not just talk: there are actual numbers behind McGrath’s point. This data is what DEI departments must share with the rest of the company. “We have almost zero attrition, which in a law firm world in the last four years is almost unheard of,” McGrath said. “We have lost less than a handful of attorneys in four years, because we are diverse, because we have bought into belonging.”

McGrath continues, “If you get to know your colleagues, you can laugh with your colleagues, you can bring your whole selves to the office, and together, you spot issues and develop better work products.”

Leveling the Playing Field

One important aspect of DEI is giving each employee what they need to succeed. And if they feel valued and successful in the workplace, there will be a sense of belonging. 

Panelist Corey Smith, head of diversity & inclusion at LVMH, says that one person may need Excel training, but others may need help with pivot tables. But equity is even more than that.

“Getting someone communication skills training, that's equity, but you know what,” Smith said. “So are gender neutral bathrooms, and lactation rooms. All of those things create, ultimately, an environment that is belonging, because I know that my individual needs are going to be taken care of when I show up to work.”

At a quarterly meeting with regional presidents, Smith put up a slide of two images of their brand ambassador, rapper Jay Z. On one side was young Jay Z looking clean cut, and on the other side was a more recent photo with grown out hair in freeform dreadlocks. 

“I said, which one of these two images would you rather do business with?” he said. “I reminded them that at the same time, we have employees with dreads that feel as if they can't show up to work because of their hair.”

Point is, you can’t judge a book by its cover, otherwise you can’t create a sense of belonging in the workplace. He added: “I can show up, and I can contribute and I can have value. And I can make this organization more profitable, if you will allow me to be me.”

Kadia Tubman of Insider moderated the panel session about “Boosting the Role of Belonging in Leadership Development.”

Progress Over Perfection

It’s important to keep things in perspective. DEI is still in its beginning stages, so many are still figuring out how to accomplish it.

“We’re in some new space here. And we have to be open to where we’re going in order for us to get different results,” said panelist Gemma Toner, CEO and founder of TONE Networks.

The important thing is to get to a place where people feel comfortable taking risks. “When it comes to being your authentic self, it does take courage,” Toner said. Change must start at the top. Company leaders need to be willing to make changes, which can be hard.

“It is easier to not take risks. It's easier to do the same program. It's easier to do the same thing year after year. And, you know, logically if you’re not where you want to be, then you would stop doing it, but it's very hard to make that change.” Leaders need to be willing to take risks and work on new initiatives to get to a different place.

Share the Data

Despite the importance of DEI in the workplace, it has to make business sense as well. Collecting the data and sharing it with leadership is imperative for showing them that DEI has value in every way.

Panelist Ezinne Okoro, global chief inclusion and diversity officer at Wunderman Thompson, said we must understand the data points and how to best utilize them to build a strategy that will lead to better DEIB outcomes.

“A CFO can’t come to a meeting without the numbers that show how the business is doing,” she said. DEI must be woven into the fabric of the business, because it’s best for the employees. 

If data isn’t shared, and workplace belonging isn’t integrated, you run the risk of losing people. As Okoro says, people are your biggest asset. Retention is the biggest piece of that. Talking to your people is essential, but the environment of the conversation is also important. “You have to have belonging to allow for that type of conversation where someone can be vulnerable.” 

Panelist Natoya Brown, senior vice president of people experience at Universal Music Group, agreed. Honesty, authenticity, and intentionality are paramount, she says. 

“Belonging is an output of all of the investment, and all of the considerations that we take about each individual employee and ultimately, how they work together as a team,” said Brown. 

Carrie Snider is a Phoenix, Ariz.-based journalist and marketing copywriter. 

RELATED STORIES

Boosting Productivity in a Changing Workplace–and Workforce

A number of stressors are hindering the productivity of today’s workforce. Some employees still need help with the adjustment to working remotely or in a hybrid environment, says Millette Granville, VP of diversity, equity and inclusion at 2U.“People get a little antsy if they’re remote but three people on their team are in person,” she told moderator Krissah Thompson, managing editor of the Washington Post in a panel discussion at From Day One’s conference in Washington, D.C.“They’re thinking, ‘Do I have career growth? Can I move through the organization If I’m remote?’” More than ever, employees long for a sense of belonging, says Granville. “Research shows that employees that feel like they belong are going to stay longer, they're going to be more innovative,” she said.A recent survey at the cloud-based human capital technology and services provider Alight revealed that one in five of its employees had a behavioral health problem, while 75% were experiencing some degree of stress and anxiety. “We’re probably underestimating it, to be honest,” said Dr. Bipan Mistry, chief medical officer at Alight.Improving Mental Wellness in the WorkplaceTammy Kness, SVP of human capital management and communications at General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT), shared that the company kicked off a mental health awareness initiative called “How Are You Really?” several years ago.GDIT has a website with resources on how to have conversations with employees and colleagues about stress and anxiety. “It’s been really encouraging to see how just offering to talk about that in the workplace is increasing productivity and connectedness and community,” Kness said. “We’re just trying to destigmatize talking about mental health and sharing with our employees. It’s OK not to be OK, but it’s not OK to not ask for help.”The panelists spoke on the topic "Boosting Productivity in a Changing Workplace–and Workforce" at From Day One's D.C. conference A lack of access to healthcare providers, particularly in the mental health field, is an issue that prevents many people from seeing the help they need, says Mistry. “That’s where having some navigation services for behavioral health is really key,” he said. “And it’s not just the employee. We also have to think about the family unit.”Alight data shows that 20% of behavioral health guidance is for pediatric adolescent conditions. “So, let’s not forget about the element of the parental unit and how that affects productivity at work,” he said. Employees also need some flexibility in the workday so they can go to appointments when they find a provider.Remote and Hybrid WorkFlexibility is also the key to remote and hybrid work, says Kness. “One size doesn't fit all,” she said. Nearly half of all GDIT employees are on-site in a secured facility because of the nature of their work. That didn’t change, even during the pandemic. However, some employees were working remotely for years before Covid.She said the key is to have an approach that balances all these ways of working while keeping everyone connected. For example, GDIT’s employee resource groups now meet remotely to discuss topics such as mental health and inclusivity.“It has to be a very multifaceted strategy around investing in your managers, engaging your employees, being really intentional about your strategy, and building those communities,” Kness said.According to Granville, employers should also be aware of proximity bias which could lead to unequal treatment between in-person team members and remote ones.“If you’re the leader, you need to make sure you’re doing all the things you need to do to engage everyone in a way that’s impactful and meaningful to them,” she said.How to Keep Employees EngagedLiz Janssen, VP of talent experience and transformation at ICF says the company has been on a performance management journey over the past three years. “We heard our employees through surveys and focus groups say they want to connect what they do to the company mission, and that they want more frequent feedback,” she said. “They also wanted to focus on their career growth. That was the number one reason why people were leaving.”ICF responded by doing quarterly check-ins with employees rather than an annual review. If an employee or manager wants to have conversations even more frequently than that, they can make that request. In addition, managers have started talking to employees about how their work contributed to the firm’s overall success.“We test the effectiveness and our employees are saying it’s really helped a lot,” Janssen said. “We didn’t make it mandatory, but we’ve seen a growth and adoption rate of 50% year over year.”Michal Alter, founder and CEO of Visit.org, which helps corporations engage their employees, said one client came to them several years ago because morale was extremely low at the company following a merger.“We worked on putting together a larger global day of service,” she said. “That’s what we do, we work with nonprofits all over the world. And we create content for volunteering and different types of team-building learning opportunities.”That initial day of service had an outstanding 25% participation rate, says Alter. “That became the moment in time where everyone felt that they were coming together,” she said. “And from that point on, they saw the new beginning of the merged company.”The global day of service has not only become an annual tradition for the client. “Employees are now asking me to do it throughout the year,” Alter said. “That focus on the mission really brought everyone together to create a productive work environment.”Mary Pieper is a freelance writer based in Mason City, Iowa.

Mary Pieper | May 14, 2024

Balancing Tradition and Transformation While Hiring Thousands of New Workers

Amtrak is seeing a new era of rail travel.With billions of dollars in new investments, the company has added over eight thousand employees in the past two years alone, with an expected four thousand additional workers for the rest of 2024.The rapid growth leads to an unexpected characteristic for the company: by the end of 2024, 50% of employees will have been there for less than three years.The new wave of workers ushered in requires a fresh perspective in managing, says Robert Grasty, Amtrak’s executive vice president and chief human resource officer. At From Day One’s Washington, D.C. event, Grasty spoke with moderator and Washington Post reporter, Lori Aratani, to discuss how he’s leading the new generation of employees in this age of railroad travel.Presenting Opportunity at RecruitingGrasty never thought he’d enter the transportation industry, let alone lead a major train company. The attraction, however, was the promise of an impactful career.“There’s a lot I didn't know about trains so it was an organization that I didn’t think I would ever go and work for,” Grasty said. “But when I think about the impact we’re having across the U.S., to make sure we are providing transportation and connecting with more people in more places, I became very excited.”The transportation industry can seem silo for some job seekers, but a company like Amtrak also leans on workers who can offer transferable skills across various industries. The trick to recruiting top candidates is identifying those skills needed at the right time, Grasty says.Robert Grasty, Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resource Officer of Amtrak spoke about the growth of the company“If you think about what we do, we bring a lot of different types of talent into the organization, from engineering to project managers,” he said. “We compete against companies like Google and Amazon for the same talent they’re getting from the IT perspective to all of the functional, corporate support areas.”At Amtrak, employee referrals played a large role in attracting talent to the space of transportation. Programs that reward employees for bringing talent through the door are typically more successful, with one case showing employee referrals correlated to a 30% hiring rate compared to the 7% average from alternative sources.“Through our strong referral program, we have employees who can speak on the different initiatives that have added value, not only to the railroad space but also to where we want to be and where we need to go in the future,” Grasty said.Leveraging Data to Make ChangeWhen Grasty first arrived at Amtrak, he realized the company was not utilizing the results from employee surveys to the best of its abilities.“What I noticed about employee surveys was that all the data that was in those reports was what we did and what was coming out of it never changed. The same thing we saw years ago is the same thing we’re seeing today,” Grasty said.When used correctly, data from employee surveys can tell a compelling story about workers’ experiences and can push leaders in the right direction of change. Grasty knew he needed to change Amtrak’s approach to employee surveys and leverage the data collected from the surveys to make impactful change.“We took the data that we got from all the feedback and created a strategy that aligns to what our employees are saying,” Grasty said. “We didn’t want the strategy to just be the strategy, we wanted it to connect to the people who do it every day out there on the front line.”The shift in utilizing data has been beneficial to Grasty and his team, who have seen improvement in employee engagement and synergy amongst different parts of the company.“Everyone understands the organization, where it’s going, and how we all connect and impact our company. So, for us, utilizing our data in the proper way is a big success for Amtrak,” Grasty said.Wanly Chen is a writer and poet based in New York City.

Wanly Chen | May 10, 2024

Do Your Workers Feel a Sense of Belonging and Recognition?

Employees thrive and remain in organizations where they feel included and valued. Creating a comfortable space where everyone feels that they are heard and seen is crucial to recruitment and retention. During a panel discussion at From Day One’s conference in Salt Lake City, four experts offered tips and tricks on helping employees feel that they have a part in the conversation.For Emma E. Houston, chief diversity officer at the University of Utah, it starts with ‘hello.’ “One of the things that I make a habit of doing is saying, ‘Good morning, good afternoon, good evening.’ Because what is important is for individuals to be seen. So when you’re thinking about how you help people feel included, acknowledge their presence. Simply acknowledge their presence, and then the conversation can start from there. Just greeting someone on a regular basis, making that pause and making that acknowledgement that ‘I see you’ is one of the very first steps in creating a space of inclusivity,” Houston told session moderator Robert Gehrke, government and politics reporter at the Salt Lake Tribune.Matt Frisbie, chief marketing officer at AXOMO builds rapport in the workplace with stories, sweets (he prefers Snickers) and swag, which is appropriate since Namify manufactures branded gear. “The shortest distance between two people is a story,” said Frisbie. “We all have a story, we all have experiences that we can share. Ask open-ended questions and invite that [sharing], and try to get to their story.”Every Thursday at two o’clock, they walk the whole manufacturing facility with a box of snacks, says Frisbie. There’s everything, chips, Snickers, and healthy snacks, too. “But the point is actually to just walk in and smile, and say hello.”Weslie Porter, the director of culture and engagement for the state of Utah’s Department of Government Operations, shared a unique example of how different groups can have different needs, and they need to feel comfortable expressing those needs. He began by surveying attendees, asking who was right-handed [most of the audience], and who left [a few], and named scissors as one tool that is commonly engineered for right-handed people.“I have a left-handed friend,” he shared. They have to be very deliberate and strategic on where they sit when they go out to eat, he says. What’s interesting about this, as right-handed people, sometimes we think that things are just the norm. And so when we think about how we make people feel included, and feel welcome, we take a minute, and we realize that sometimes the norm comes from the majority.“And so the first step, specifically leadership, and even HR, when we're developing our job description, interview questions, whatever that might be, is to stop and realize, what about my experience is transferring into everything I do? And how do I get the different perspectives?” said Porter.The panelists discussed the topic "Do Your Workers Feel a Sense of Belonging and Recognition?" in Salt Lake CityWhat we can do is realize those perspectives will allow us to make better decisions. And more importantly, “it’ll allow our people to feel like they’re heard, they’re included, and recognized.” When they’re recognized, that’s when magic can happen, he says.Whitney Harper, the senior VP of people at Extra Space Storage, agrees. “I love the analogy of the left-handed versus right-handed. It’s imperative to “[create] those opportunities to listen to those perspectives, and to be open to that” she said.She adds that inclusive language is essential to creating an inviting and inclusive community in the workplace. Leaders need to ensure that “language is accessible to individuals to make sure that when we talk about DEI, we talk about inclusiveness, that we’re not using language that all of a sudden feels jargony.”Houston explained how the University of Utah has sought to achieve that goal, bringing stakeholders together to define what DEI meant for the school to create a consistent language. “We had 75 individuals in the room, creating the definitions of what we believe equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging access would mean at the University of Utah. So now we’re all holding ourselves accountable for what those consistent definitions are, and what the language is, and how we attach those to our values.”Porter has experienced how the language in job descriptions can impact diversity in the applicant pool. “When writing job descriptions, we have a tendency to use words that can mean different things that are bigger than they need to be.” Simplicity is key, he says. When the language is accessible and understood by all, there will be more applicants.He also touted Governor Cox’s initiative towards skill-based hiring, and his own experience being onboarded and welcomed as a completely remote employee. “We focus on the onboarding piece. Some of the data suggests that if you have that good onboarding experience, at the beginning, your attrition rate is going to go low, and [employees] are going to stay there longer for retention. So we really focus on that. In particular, those first couple of weeks are absolutely crucial to make sure that they feel that they can belong, and they can thrive. And we’re seeing some dividends getting paid.”Cynthia Barnes has written about everything from art to zebras from more than 30 countries. She currently calls Denver home.

Cynthia Barnes | May 07, 2024