How I Think About Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at Work

When I hired my first team of engineers at a SaaS startup, I thought diversity meant making sure the job posting went to a broad pool of candidates. That was it. Check the box, move on to the next task.

It took me about two years to realize how wrong I was. I started noticing that some of my hires, people who were talented and qualified, weren’t sticking around. They’d join with energy, contribute for a few months, and then quietly leave. The exit interviews told a consistent story: they didn’t feel like they belonged.

That experience changed how I think about building teams. Diversity gets people through the door. Inclusion gives them a seat at the table. Belonging is what makes them want to stay. I’ve spent the last eight years refining how I approach this at every company I’ve built, and I want to share what I’ve learned.

Okay, let’s get into it.

What Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Means

Before getting into specifics, let me define these three terms. They get thrown around interchangeably, and that’s part of the problem.

Diversity

Diversity is about representation. It’s the measurable differences in a workforce: race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, and disability. Researchers typically group these into four main categories: race and ethnicity, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic background.

Inclusion

Inclusion is about behavior and systems. It means creating an environment where people feel comfortable sharing ideas, challenging decisions, and showing up as themselves. You can have a diverse team that still operates with biased systems, and that’s not inclusion.

Belonging

Belonging is the outcome. When someone feels that their presence matters and they can contribute without performing or hiding parts of who they are, that’s belonging. It’s the signal that diversity and inclusion are working.

Why Diversity Alone Doesn’t Cut It

Most companies start their DEI efforts by focusing on diversity, and that makes sense. You can measure it. You can set targets. You can track hiring data quarterly and report to leadership.

But here’s what I’ve seen happen: a company hits its diversity targets, celebrates internally, and then six months later starts seeing turnover among the same groups they worked hard to hire. I’ve watched this cycle play out at three different organizations I’ve been involved with.

The problem isn’t the hiring. The problem is what happens after. If your systems, meeting structures, feedback loops, and promotion criteria still favor a narrow set of behaviors or backgrounds, diversity becomes a revolving door.

According to a McKinsey report, companies in the top quartile for ethnic diversity are 36% more likely to outperform on profitability. But that only happens when diverse hires are given real decision-making power, not just a spot on the org chart.

I made this mistake early on. I focused on hiring diverse candidates without thinking about whether my management practices supported them. If you’re putting together a formal strategy, crafting a diversity and inclusion mission statement is a good first step. It forces leadership to commit to specifics, not just generalities.

Inclusion Is the Bridge Between Hiring and Retention

Inclusion is where most of the work happens. It’s the operational side of DIB: the policies, meeting norms, feedback systems, and promotion criteria that determine whether someone has a real shot at thriving.

Here’s what inclusion looks like in practice:

• Equal employment opportunity: every candidate and employee gets a fair shot, regardless of background.
• Fair treatment: feedback, promotions, and compensation are consistent across the team.
• Open communication: people feel safe raising concerns or sharing ideas without retaliation.
• Accessibility: reasonable accommodations exist for employees who need them.
• Gender equality: pay and promotion gaps are tracked and addressed.

When I was scaling my content team, I noticed some members contributed less in group meetings but produced strong written work. The issue wasn’t their ability. It was the meeting format. So I shifted to async brainstorms where everyone submitted ideas before we met. Participation went up across the board.

Small changes like that are what move inclusion forward. If you’re looking for structured ways to assess your team’s sentiment, these diversity and inclusion survey questions can help surface issues people don’t always raise on their own.

Building inclusion into your hiring process matters too. If you’re preparing candidates for roles where diversity competency is expected, using diversity and inclusion interview questions helps evaluate whether someone can contribute to the culture you’re building.

Belonging Is What Makes People Stay

Belonging is harder to measure than diversity or inclusion, but it’s probably the most important piece.

When someone belongs, they don’t feel like they need to earn their place every day. They contribute because they’re confident their input matters, not because they’re afraid of being seen as a token voice in the room.

I think of belonging as the emotional result of inclusion done right. You can’t mandate it. You can’t put it in a policy doc. But you can create the conditions for it.

Here are things that have worked in my companies:

• Transparent values: when employees understand the company’s beliefs and how those beliefs shape decisions, they feel connected.
• Welcome environments: from onboarding to daily standups, people should feel safe. No one should worry about harassment or bias.
• Inclusive recruitment: hiring practices should signal that your company values different perspectives. Policies addressing gender identity, race, religion, disability, and age should be visible in how you operate.

If you want to build belonging into day-to-day operations, investing in diversity and inclusion initiatives gives you a framework to work from. These aren’t one-time projects. They’re ongoing practices that reinforce belonging at every level.

I also think it helps to have someone in leadership who owns this work. Bringing on a director of diversity and inclusion can give your strategy real accountability.

Building a DIB Strategy That Works

So how do you bring diversity, inclusion, and belonging together into a strategy? Here’s what’s worked for me.

Start with Data to Benchmark Progress

Start with data. Before you implement anything, understand where your company stands. Run internal surveys, review hiring and retention data by demographic, and look at promotion rates across groups. If you don’t have a starting point, you can’t measure progress.

Train Leaders to Create Inclusive Teams

Train your leaders. Managers set the tone for their teams. If they don’t know how to run inclusive meetings, give unbiased feedback, or handle complaints, your strategy will fail at the team level. Formal discrimination training programs can fill these gaps.

Establish Feedback Loops for Continuous Improvement

Create feedback loops. Your employees know what’s working and what isn’t. Regular check-ins, anonymous feedback channels, and open discussion forums give people the space to share their experiences. Using diversity and inclusion discussion topics in team settings normalizes these conversations.

Set Measurable DIB Goals That Drive Action

Set real goals. Vague commitments like ‘we value diversity’ don’t change anything. Set specific, measurable targets. Track them quarterly. Share results with the company.

Go Beyond Compliance to Build Culture

Don’t confuse compliance with culture. Following employment law is the baseline, not the goal. The EEOC’s guidelines cover what you can’t do. Your DIB strategy should focus on what you choose to do beyond that.

Mistakes I’ve Seen Leaders Make With DIB Programs

I want to close with some honest observations about what goes wrong with DIB programs. I’ve seen these mistakes at startups, midsize companies, and large organizations.

Treating DIB as a One-Time Campaign

Treating DIB as a campaign. Some companies launch a diversity initiative, run it for a quarter, and then move on. DIB isn’t a sprint. It’s operational infrastructure that needs sustained investment.

Forcing Emotional Labor on Underrepresented Employees

Forcing emotional labor on underrepresented employees. When a company’s only Black employee gets asked to lead the diversity committee, that’s not inclusion. That’s unpaid labor dressed up as opportunity. Don’t put the burden of fixing systemic issues on the people most affected by them.

Ignoring the Role of Belonging

Ignoring belonging. Companies track headcount diversity and sometimes measure inclusion metrics, but belonging rarely makes it onto the dashboard. If people are leaving because they don’t feel like they fit, that’s a belonging problem, and no amount of hiring will fix it.

Failing to Act on Complaints

Not following through on complaints. If someone reports a biased incident and nothing happens, trust collapses. Employees need to see action, not just acknowledgment. Failing to address complaints sends a message that bias is tolerated, discouraging others from coming forward in the future.

Lacking Accountability at the Top

Lack of accountability at the top. If your leadership team doesn’t reflect the diversity you’re trying to build, people notice. Maintaining leadership positions with multiple perspectives helps signal that diversity isn’t just an entry-level priority. If you’re building these skills across your team, structured diversity and inclusion training programs provide a consistent baseline for everyone.

Final Thoughts

Diversity, inclusion, and belonging aren’t separate initiatives. They’re parts of the same system. Diversity gets people in the door. Inclusion gives them the tools to contribute. Belonging makes them want to stay and grow with your team.

If you’re starting from scratch, focus on one area at a time and build from there. If you already have programs in place, audit them honestly. Look at what’s working, what’s performative, and where people are still falling through the gaps. The goal isn’t perfection. It’s consistent effort.

FAQs

Here I answer the most frequently asked questions about diversity, inclusion, and belonging.

What is the difference between diversity and inclusion?

Diversity refers to the representation of different identities within a group, including race, gender, age, and background. Inclusion is the set of practices and behaviors that ensure those diverse individuals feel valued and can participate fully. You can have diversity without inclusion, but the two work best together.

Why is belonging important in the workplace?

Belonging is what keeps employees engaged long-term. When people feel they genuinely fit within a team, they’re more likely to contribute, stay, and advocate for the organization. Without belonging, even well-designed inclusion programs can see high turnover among the groups they’re meant to support.

How do you measure diversity, inclusion, and belonging?

Diversity is measured through demographic data in hiring, retention, and promotion. Inclusion can be tracked through employee surveys, participation rates in decision-making, and complaint resolution timelines. Belonging is typically assessed through engagement surveys that ask whether employees feel accepted and valued by their team.

Can small companies implement DIB programs?

Yes. DIB doesn’t require a large budget or a dedicated department. Small companies can start by reviewing their hiring practices for bias, creating transparent feedback processes, and setting norms around respectful communication. Even simple steps like structured interviews and inclusive meeting formats make a difference.

What role does leadership play in DIB?

Leadership sets the tone. If executives don’t visibly support and participate in DIB efforts, the rest of the organization won’t take them seriously. Leaders need to model inclusive behavior, hold managers accountable, and ensure that DIB goals are tied to business outcomes.

How long does it take to build an inclusive culture?

There’s no fixed timeline. Culture change takes years, not months. Most organizations start seeing measurable shifts in employee sentiment within 12 to 18 months of sustained effort, but building a truly inclusive culture is ongoing work that requires regular evaluation and adjustment.