Beyond the 13 factors: Measuring inclusion and belonging as a psychosocial factor for a healthier workplace

This article, the first in our “Beyond the 13 Factors” series, explores the powerful psychosocial factor of inclusion and belonging – how its presence contributes to workplace well-being and how its absence can signal an emerging risk to psychological health and safety.

Inclusion and belonging reflect the extent to which workers feel valued, respected, socially accepted and able to participate fully in the life of their workplace. These factors are central to fostering connectedness and psychological safety, but they can be overlooked until exclusion and social disconnection become hazards. Getting ahead of these factors means developing the capacity to measure inclusion and belonging and monitoring their impact before the risks escalate. If there are challenges, it’s crucial to be proactive by putting controls in place to prevent harm.

As Timothy Clark observes in The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety, inclusion isn’t about passive tolerance or superficial gestures; it’s about actively welcoming individuals as their whole, authentic selves. This human need is foundational to psychological safety and healthy social dynamics. When it’s unmet, workers may face elevated stress, anxiety and disengagement, with implications for mental and physical health.

Inclusion and belonging aren’t isolated experiences; they shape the entire workplace ecosystem. When individuals feel excluded, the ripple effects compromise teamwork, collaboration and culture. This can create risks, particularly for equity-deserving groups, including racialized employees, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ+ workers and those from marginalized socioeconomic backgrounds.

Framing inclusion and belonging as psychosocial factors, not potential hazards, shifts the organizational focus from reaction to prevention. It invites employers and leaders to go beyond checkboxes towards active monitoring, meaningful engagement and workplace design that fosters belonging for all. Just as we measure workload or job control, we must evaluate inclusion and belonging, making them visible parts of a psychological health program to promote mental health and prevent mental harm.

Assessment methods and tools

Truly understanding the lack of inclusion and belonging within a team or organization benefits from a multifaceted approach that captures quantitative and qualitative insights into experiences that can put meaning to employees’ perceptions. We always encourage employers to consider what is readily available and validated when selecting any quantitative assessment to enhance the scientific accuracy of data collection. For example, several validated assessment tools can help practitioners evaluate the current state of inclusion in their workplaces.

The Gartner Inclusion Index represents one of the most well-researched assessment tools available, and the Workplace Inclusion Scale provides users with a validated, quick and easy set of questions to gauge team member engagement. Employers must understand how their employees feel about the following five statements:

• I am treated as a valued member of my work group
• I belong in my work group
• I am connected to my work group
• I believe that my work group is where I am meant to be
• I feel that people really care about me in my work group

These concepts can be captured through a standalone survey or integrated into larger employee engagement surveys or workplace psychological health and safety assessments.

Another tool, co-authored by Bill Howatt, is the Workplace Psychological Safety Assessment. This confidential, evidence-based assessment helps employers understand their employees’ workplace experiences through a psychological safety and inclusion lens, offering personal insights into improving their experience and mental health within the workplace. The Perception of Workplace Inclusion Quick Survey, which is publicly available and was used to inform additional research for a belonging screen, is pending publication in a credible scientific journal.

Practical controls and implementation strategy

Managing inclusion and belonging requires a systematic approach with controls (i.e., practical action steps that define how) to fairly and safely address immediate concerns while building a long-term culture that buys in and supports inclusion and belonging habits. The following framework is a practical roadmap for defining direction, action, change and implementation.

Immediate actions

Create clear reporting channels that allow workers to raise concerns without fear of retaliation. Prioritize training all managers to be psychologically safe leaders and all employees to become psychologically safe and inclusive team members. This can help ensure, from a preventive stance, that leaders and employees have the foundational knowledge, skills, and tools to respond positively and constructively, promoting an inclusive and belonging environment where all can thrive.

Audit current practices for obvious exclusion risks and address immediate safety concerns related to harassment, discrimination or hostile behaviour. Consider how meetings are run, how the office is set up, how new people are onboarded and how teams work together to complete assigned work. Review meeting structures to ensure that all voices are heard, examine promotion criteria for potential hidden biases, and assess whether workplace social activities inadvertently exclude certain groups. Consider the nuances required to help neurotypical and neurodivergent employees feel safe and confident interacting in social settings necessary for conducting work and feeling comfortable and a part of the culture.

Implement basic inclusion and belonging communication practices. This includes using inclusive language in job postings, ensuring diverse representation in recruitment panels and establishing ground rules for respectful workplace interactions. All employees should feel that there is fairness, that they belong in the culture, and that it is safe to apply for new roles or challenge the status quo without fear of repercussions.

Planning for systematic changes

Ensure all workers understand behavioural expectations around inclusion and belonging by developing a comprehensive inclusion and belonging strategy that goes beyond compliance considerations and gets to the individual employee experience. Design and implement controls that promote prevention and support.

Consider the need for follow-through, measurement, and reinforcement to promote continued collaboration with workers, ensuring that these factors remain hyper-focused on employees’ daily experiences rather than a theoretical checklist that confuses activity with impact. Form diverse working groups to identify barriers and empower them to provide insights and ideas that achieve an inclusive and belonging culture, one that does not exclude or leave any employee feeling isolated and alone.

Review and redesign key processes, including recruitment, onboarding, training, measurement, performance management, promotion and recognition systems, through an inclusion and belonging lens. Move towards creating job aids that promote desired behaviours, such as including checkpoints in processes to prevent both conscious and unconscious biases and promote equitable outcomes.

Implement bias interruption training for all managers and staff who are involved in decisions that affect employees. This training should focus on developing practical skills for recognizing and interrupting bias in real-time, rather than relying on one-off awareness sessions. Include scenarios relevant to your workplace and industry that are practiced, and provide time for people to practice or determine other accountability measures actively. The goal is to ensure that the right conversations occur and that all individuals feel comfortable sharing their experiences for consideration. Inclusive and belonging cultures are committed to creating a culture of talking with rather than talking at.

Build external partnerships that strengthen inclusion and belonging efforts. Connect with community organizations, professional associations and other employers to share best practices. There is no need to invent the wheel if others in your industry have found success.

Key implementation principles for change

• Define a standard: Commit to taking an evidence-informed approach, supported by evidence from measurement and training, as well as by advisors making suggestions. When facilitating inclusion and belonging, use a trauma-informed lens to be mindful that what has happened or can happen to workers can influence how they show up and react.
• Consultation is essential: Consult workers when identifying hazards and assessing risks to health and safety. Establish safe spaces to explore when workers have not felt included. Do not assume competency. Provide guidance on what “good” looks like and the evidence being used to support those conclusions, whether sources are internal or external to the organization.

• Consider the impact of other psychosocial hazards: Recognize that inclusion and belonging issues rarely exist in isolation; they interact with other psychosocial hazards. They are likely linked to organizational justice, trust, feelings of fairness, recognition and rewards.

• Focus on protective factors: Build workplace strengths, such as strong social support, and help employees establish social connections. Be aware of employee preferences, meaning that one size seldom fits all needs; commit to clear, two-way communication; and define what is expected and what “good” looks like regarding how the employer wants to promote fair treatment, encompassing inclusion and belonging. Employ a Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) approach to ensure the protective factor of inclusion and belonging is functioning as intended.
• Establish comprehensive measurement and accountability systems. Move beyond annual surveys to include regular pulse checks, focus groups and behavioural metrics. Create dashboards that track inclusion indicators alongside other business metrics, making inclusion performance visible to leadership. Consider incorporating program evaluation methodologies that ensure protective factors receive the value, participation, and impact they are designed for.
• Continuous improvement: Treat inclusion and belonging as an ongoing risk management process, not a one-time initiative, and ensure the PDCA approach has the necessary resources and budget to continue learning and hold the employer, leaders and employees accountable.

Managing inclusion and belonging hazards requires sustained commitment, adequate resources and genuine leadership engagement. The goal is to create workplaces where all workers can thrive, contribute their best work and experience genuine belonging as part of their everyday work experience.