Am I managing? No need to rush

Our regular columnist Natalie Barker, Head of Transformation at Southern Cross Health Insurance, shares her insights into nurturing a sense of belonging in her team.

“Mum, I cut my leg. Am I in trouble? Are you mad?”

I’ve spent a lot of time in waiting rooms with my teenage son recently. First, he was bitten by a white-tailed spider, so we waited to see our GP. Next, he knocked himself out at the skatepark, so we spent a few hours at the hospital, followed by a trip to the concussion clinic, then the physio. Yesterday, he needed stitches, so we whiled away the afternoon at the accident clinic. You can see why he thought I might be annoyed. But, truthfully, other than the fact he’s hurt (which obviously I’d avoid given the choice), I’ve just enjoyed spending time with him.

I can’t help but draw the parallel between my family and my team at work. We know that a sense of belonging is important for employee engagement. Research has shown that employees with a strong feeling of belonging at work are far more likely to be engaged than those who don’t. They are much more likely to bring in their best selves and to do their best work.

But, if we’re too busy to spend time together at work, how can our people build strong connections and that precious sense of belonging? It’s not that easy, especially given that many of our new ways of working work against us. Take activity-based, flexible work environments, for example. Gone are the days where you sat at the same desk, surrounded by personal memorabilia and the same teammates every day. Now, our people have the flexibility to move around the workplace, working together in collaborative spaces or hunkering down in focus zones, but not necessarily connecting deeply with those around them. Not unlike my teenage children.

That’s assuming our people are even in the office. Many of us are choosing to work from home on a regular basis. The marvels of modern technology make this a viable and attractive option, especially since the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, balancing work and home life on our own terms. Working from home means less time connecting in person and less time connecting with the physical workplace itself, which in many businesses has been designed to reinforce the values that help create a feeling of belonging.

All this paints a grim picture, so it’s important to remind ourselves these same changes to the way we work have also given us opportunities to create connections that are even stronger than before.

At Southern Cross Health Insurance, we’ve spent the past few months transitioning to a new operating model, underpinned by principles of organisational agility. Like living with teenagers, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing, but we’ve chosen to approach the mobilisation of new teams with purpose and care. We invested in adaptive leadership training for our leaders and supported them to create psychologically safe environments. For many teams, their highest priority for the past quarter was to understand their purpose, build trusting relationships and solidify their working rhythms.

Belonging at work really isn’t that different from belonging in a family. As leaders, we should take time to get to know people on a personal level, cherish them for who they are and value what they have to offer. We need to take those ‘waiting room’ moments and turn them into opportunities to nurture the feeling of belonging in our teams.

Natalie Barker is Head of Transformation at Southern Cross Health Insurance. She has been leading people for 15 years and believes that leveraging people’s strengths and passions is the best way to drive engagement and get stuff done.