Walking a Minefield Without a Map: The Explosive Intersection of Well-Being and Belonging
by Neha Sampat, Esq.
(Originally published in Legal Management Magazine, Annual Print Edition 2022, available in full here.)
I was conducting interviews for a client’s belonging assessment, and I had asked everyone to come to their interview with a personal story of belonging or not belonging. At one interview, the interviewee remarked that they had struggled to identify a belonging story. I asked them why, and they explained: “Honestly, I can’t actually think of a time I didn’t belong.” During a later interview, a different interviewee lamented that they also had struggled to identify a belonging story. I asked them why, and they explained that they couldn’t remember the last time they did belong.
Does it surprise you to know that the former was a White man, and the latter was a Black woman?
Sadly, this situation is common. In our society, belonging is experienced as a privilege, with some (usually the White, male, cisgender, straight types) experiencing belonging as a given, while many others (usually the historically oppressed and the multi-marginalized) experiencing belonging as an audacious dream.
Yet, according to the study, “A Theory of Human Motivation” by A.H. Maslow, belonging is a core human need, following only physiological and safety needs. It’s a cornerstone of human well being — a sense of belonging cultivates a sense of meaningfulness in life, and a sense of meaningfulness in life is associated with overall well-being, as per the 2013 study, “To Belong Is to Matter: Sense of Belonging Enhances Meaning in Life.” Thwarted belonging leads to mental health challenges, including depression and anxiety.
Unfortunately, the workplace exacerbates historically excluded individuals’ struggle for belonging, thereby compounding their well-being challenges. For instance, a 2019 study of sexism against women in the workplace* confirmed that “sexism was associated with a poorer sense of belonging in the industry, which was associated with poorer mental health and job satisfaction.”
The rotten “isms” (e.g., sexism, racism, etc.) inequitably tax the well-being of the marginalized in many ways. For example, marginalized folks experience extra pressure for perfection because they actually are held to higher standards (as reported in an Atlantic article from 2015). This forces them to work exponentially harder to get just as far as their nonmarginalized counterparts. Their organizations often add under-compensated and under-valued diversity work to their already burdensome loads, all while providing them with little access to the built-in networks of support, mentorship and sponsorship that so many others take for granted. The marginalized are essentially pushed into a minefield without a map. Meanwhile, societal injustices continue to bombard them, traumatize them and chip away at their safety.
This challenge is formidable, yet addressable. Here are some ways for your legal organization to push through it.
1. De-silo diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) from other priorities in your firm — especially wellness. You cannot foster true inclusion without wellbeing, and you cannot cultivate well-being without true inclusion. Therefore, seed collaboration between your wellness and DEIB professionals and have them co-sponsor programs. Address bias and exclusion as root causes of mental health challenges, thereby centering the historically excluded in wellness conversations.
Make sure your DEIB programming addresses wellness. Kori Carew, Esq., Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer at Seyfarth Shaw LLP, connects these dots and shares that among other actions, her department intentionally includes a wellness component in their DEIB programs. They’ve also equipped firm leaders with curated resources and tactics on “wellbeing and its intersection with connection and belonging.”
2. Double down on the work to stop harming the marginalized. Don’t teach folks how to walk the minefield. Instead, remove the mines: Tackle microaggressions (which, of course, are anything but “micro”), stop tokenizing, disrupt unconscious bias individually and systemically, foster allyship and advocacy, and build empathy.
3. Simultaneously, acknowledge that those on the receiving end of bias have suffered real harm, and dedicate resources to provide healing from that harm. Create safe spaces for connection and support within harmed communities, including in the form of well-resourced employee resource groups. Build a culture that acknowledges traumatic events and their disparate impact on the work and well-being of the most impacted communities.
Carew shares that, at her firm, they conduct regular wellbeing check-ins, and also make a special point to check in after national tragedies. Sometimes they’ll engage a psychotherapist to provide additional support. Some organizations even offer time off for people to process traumatic events.
4. In addition to healing, empower marginalized individuals, not to “fix” what’s wrong with them, but to remind them of what’s right with them. Invest in programs that help them bust through internalized bias and imposter syndrome, unlearn assimilation, and tap into their unique identities, experiences and voices as their superpowers.
Seek out and honor the unique aspects of marginalized folks that they have historically been forced to hide. For example, provide training on inclusive interviewing and inclusive leadership to create truly safe spaces for historically excluded folks. Build an environment that encourages others to bring more of their true and best selves to their work and their lives.
Ultimately, your greatest asset is a team diverse in identities, experiences and perspectives. Create space where each person is seen, valued and celebrated — a space void of minefields, where belonging (and the well-being that accompanies it) is experienced by all.
*A Confirmation Study of the Relations Between Workplace Sexism, Sense of Belonging, Mental Health, and Job Satisfaction Among Women in Male-Dominated Industries