Enhancing performance and cultivating loyalty, a culture of belonging encourages united dedication and purpose across a business. As Tony Bond, SVP, Chief Diversity & Innovation Officer at Great Place To Work explains: “Diversity is being invited to the party, inclusion is being asked to dance and belonging is dancing like nobody’s watching, because that’s how free you feel to be yourself.”

Why does belonging matter?

Belonging is not just a buzzword. According to Deloitte’s 2020 Global Human Capital Trends survey, 79% of organisations consider belonging important for their achievements. Research conducted by BetterUp revealed that when employees feel a sense of belonging, businesses experience large benefits, including improved job performance by 56%, a 50% lower risk of turnover, and a 75% decrease in employee sick days.

Creating a sense of belonging across countries and cultures is essential for global businesses looking to foster unity, collaboration, and innovation among diverse teams. But global campaigns can face unique challenges due to cultural differences, language barriers, and varying workplace practices. Tailoring your campaign to resonate with employees from different backgrounds while maintaining a consistent message of belonging requires careful planning, cross-cultural collaboration, and sensitivity to specific regional needs.

Case study: Making belonging part of the everyday conversation

Spanning 220 countries and territories, with a global workforce of around 600,000, DHL Group realised that they were not fully tapping into the potential of their diverse workforce. To celebrate the diversity of their employees and foster inclusivity they recognised the need to help all employees feel that they belong.

We distilled the concept of belonging into a simple and relatable campaign – and that was the start of ‘I Belong’.

Our creative strategy made the concept of belonging relatable and simple, for all. The results of the campaign were remarkable, seeing high engagement on both internal and external channels, which we put down to four key reasons.

1. Real employees took centre stage, sharing their stories of how belonging extends from their personal lives into the workplace. Through blended images, the campaign showcased the authentic experiences of employees, fostering authenticity and unity.
2. We leveraged the power of user-generated content by creating a versatile frame device. This device enabled employees to share their stories across internal and external channels, and was accessible across countries and cultures.
3. To ensure global consistency, a comprehensive global toolkit was created, including campaign assets, videos, and a user-generated content toolkit for employees. This facilitated engagement across diverse regions and cultures within the organization.
4. The campaign utilized the #iBelong hashtag and frame template, resonating with employees of different genders, ages, ethnicities, and cultures. By amplifying the campaign across internal and external channels, equal access was provided for all employees to participate and contribute their authentic stories.

Through employee engagement and participation, ‘I Belong’ encouraged individuals to share their authentic stories, creating a platform for open dialogue and connection. The global reach and impact extended the message of inclusivity beyond the organization, fostering connection among employees, reinforcing the importance of belonging and diversity in the workplace.

Colleagues all around the world have posted the template with their belonging stories. Our internal DEIB social wall is just flooded posts and people keep on posting. We can already say after a few days it is a very successful campaign engaging so many colleagues who are proud to work for DHL Group!

Head of Corporate Team in Digital & Internal Comms, DHL Group

Creating a culture of belonging across countries and cultures is an ongoing journey.  Contact us today to chat about how we can support you in building a culture of belonging across countries and cultures.