Teams
Belonging survey
The survey asks about experiences and collects no information about anyone's identity. The upside is that no one has to disclose anything, and the cost is that you won't be able to compare demographic groups.
Opens this survey in Gists as a draft you can edit. Sign in with Slack, Google or your work email. 30 days free. No card needed.
This is the wrong tool for harassment or discrimination. If results point that way, use your formal process and make sure people know how to reach it.
The six questions
How much do you feel you belong on your team?
1 = not at all, 5 = completely
How free do you feel to be yourself at work without worrying about how you'll be seen?
1 = not free, 5 = completely free
How connected do you feel to people outside your immediate team?
1 = not at all connected, 5 = very connected
In the past three months, where have you felt left out at work?
Pick any
- Conversations
- Decisions that affect me
- Social moments
- I have not felt left out
- Prefer not to say
What helps you feel you belong here?
Pick any, optional
- My manager
- My teammates
- Shared goals
- Being included in decisions
- Social time
- Recognition
- Mentors or peers
- Not much yet
What could we do to help more people feel they belong?
Written answer, optional
We wrote these questions for this survey and they are not a validated scale. You can edit them once the survey opens in Gists. If you copy them into another tool, check what it records about who answered.
Why it asks two different things
Shore and colleagues define inclusion at work as meeting two needs together: belonging and being valued for what makes you different (Shore et al., 2011). Question 1 covers the first and question 2 the second, and someone can score high on one and low on the other.
Baumeister and Leary's 1995 review made the broader case that the need to belong is a fundamental human motivation, and linked its absence to a range of harms (Baumeister & Leary, 1995).
Question 1 and 2 name their own scales. Agree-or-disagree formats produced lower-quality data in a split-ballot study (Saris et al., 2010).
A finding on inclusive climates
Nishii's study of climate for inclusion found that within inclusive climates, gender diversity went with lower conflict, group conflict no longer lowered satisfaction, and unit satisfaction was related to lower turnover (Nishii, 2013).
Belonging or safety?
If people feel part of the group and still won't challenge it, the psychological safety survey is the better fit.
Before you run this
It deliberately collects nothing about anyone's identity. Written answers can still report discrimination or harassment, and if one reaches you, a duty to act may override what people expected, depending on where you are and on your policy, so ask your legal adviser how you would handle it. In Gists, written answers show as themes by default, so set where people report anything serious in Reporting and support (Surveys › Planning): it shows with every survey. Don't use this to make decisions about groups of employees without advice on adverse impact.
The decision it helps with
Where is it worth changing how people are included, and what would make a difference?
Running it
Quarterly, or after growth or a change in working pattern. It doesn't ask about identity, so you can compare by team, location or tenure and can't compare demographic groups. Question 4 asks separately about conversations, decisions and social moments, because each has a different fix.
What the results might look like
These are made-up examples to show the patterns, not real data.
“Decisions that affect me” stands out
35% choose it on question 4.
- What it means
- People feel consulted too late, or not at all.
- What it doesn't mean
- It doesn't mean decisions are bad.
- What to do
- Name who gets asked before decisions in that area, and say so.
Belonging on the team, disconnected beyond
4.3 on question 1 and a 1 or 2 on question 3 for most.
- What it means
- Teams are close and siloed.
- What it doesn't mean
- It doesn't call for more social events.
- What to do
- Try shared projects across two teams.
“Not much yet” among newer staff
mostly people in their first six months.
- What it means
- It may just be early.
- What it doesn't mean
- It doesn't mean your culture is failing.
- What to do
- Compare by tenure and look again in a quarter.
What to tell people afterwards
Share what helps people feel included and what you'll do more of. If results suggest unfair treatment, use your formal process and make sure people know how to reach it.
What to measure next, and when
Repeat next quarter, and pair with the psychological safety survey if people feel included and still hold back.
Team-level results
Results show only when 5 or more people answer. A team below 5 rolls up into the team above it. A group is also held back when comparing it with another group could reveal a small team. HR and named leaders see every team with 5 or more answers. Each manager sees only their own team. Employees see no team scores. Themes only by default. Word-for-word answers are a company setting, off unless turned on, and employees see a notice before they write.
Related
Sources
- Shore, L. M., Randel, A. E., Chung, B. G., Dean, M. A., Holcombe Ehrhart, K., Singh, G. (2011). Inclusion and Diversity in Work Groups: A Review and Model for Future Research. Journal of Management, 37, 1262-1289. doi:10.1177/0149206310385943
- Baumeister, R. F., Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117, 497-529. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.117.3.497
- Saris, W. E., Revilla, M., Krosnick, J. A., Shaeffer, E. M. (2010). Comparing questions with agree/disagree response options to questions with item-specific response options. Survey Research Methods, 4, 61-79. ojs.ub.uni-konstanz.de/srm/article/view/2682
- Nishii, L. H. (2013). The Benefits of Climate for Inclusion for Gender-Diverse Groups. Academy of Management Journal, 56, 1754-1774. doi:10.5465/amj.2009.0823