While organizations worldwide now recognize the importance of employee well-being, belonging in the workplace is only recently emerging as an additional important aspect. The University of Iowa is committed to employee well-being, emphasizing a holistic approach to well-being that includes the individual and the campus ecosystem. However, we are only in the early stages of understanding belonging at work, its relationship with holistic well-being, and key drivers that foster a sense of belongingness at work.
While the annual periodic health assessment data provides a broad range of information regarding population well-being, their survey tool previously did not contain questions directly assessing belonging in the workplace. In discussion with ProChange Behavior Solutions, there was interest to collaborate on developing a short question set to assess belonging at work. This work resulted in identifying an initial 3-item measure (n=372; α=.77) that was found to be highly related to resilience, well-being, loneliness, depression, psychological safety, and professional fulfillment. Currently identified as the IOWA-B assessment (Inclusive Organizational Workplace Assessment - Belonging), the questions were launched as part of an updated on-line health assessment in 2024.
The intent for 2024 is to continue refinement, confirmation, and eventual establishment of norms for the IOWA-B to understand better the factors that may impact or influence belonging at work. By examining the IOWA-B across multiple campus groups, we can determine areas of priority to improve an individual’s sense of belonging at work, and, in turn, embed elements of holistic well-being into a more supportive work culture overall.
Learning Objectives
After completing this session, participants will be able to:
1. Discuss the potential need to address sense of belonging in their own workforce.
2. Describe how a sense of belonging can be integrated into their own well-being strategy based upon the case study presented.
3. Discuss how successful collaboration between an organization and vendor can lead to an expanded emphasis on key aspects of holistic well-being that can be applied to strategy, implementation of programs and initiatives, measurement, and outcomes of interest. 1 ADV CECH Available