Belonging At Work: Everyday Actions You Can Take to Cultivate an Inclusive Organization

As our nation struggles through the throes of racially based violence and discussions, all of us should look to understand other points of view beyond our own. Grappling with topics like critical race theory, racism and inclusion can be uncomfortable and challenging. This book will provide insights and exercises that will challenge your assumptions and help you think about the environment we live and work in. You don’t have to agree with the author to try and understand their perspective, and I would encourage anyone responsible for a diverse workplace to read the book in an attempt to better understand these issues. An important read.

Rhodes Perry is an invaluable and important voice on our emerging understanding of what makes truly great workplace cultures: the ability for all of us to bring our full selves to work. He clearly lays out what gets in the way of this, particularly for those who are underrepresented, and historically undervalued, both from a personal lens of his LGBTQ experience, and on behalf of so many other lost and marginalized voices. Make no mistake, organizations and their bottom lines suffer from unexplored exclusionary practices. The book is full of practical examples of how we all have a role to play in redirecting the dynamics of exclusion, so that all in the workplace can thrive. A must read!”- Jennifer Brown, President & CEO, Jennifer Brown Consulting

Highly recommend for anyone interested in the conversation around diversity, inclusion, and belonging at work. I appreciate that the author includes data and also story. Too much of the conversation focuses on data as if that is how people truly change. We need more connection of human to human to truly change systems and people’s behavior. As a D&I professional, this book will help expand the conversation to new territory. Add this to your list all of my DEI professionals!!

I read this book for work and I liked it more than I thought I would. I'm GenX and I've always been kind of reserved in my work spaces, not letting on that I lived an "alternative" lifestyle. This book emphasizes the need for employees to be their true selves at work, and if we can be our true selves at work and feel like we belong, we feel more productive and happy in our workplace. While very much an "inclusive" message, I don't think anyone can argue the message in this book. It's written very well, with action steps you can take alone or as a group working to make your professional setting more inclusive and welcoming. I look forward to hearing more from this author and discussing this book at my work.As far as the book itself, it arrived with a slight crease in the cover.

I always thought of myself as extremely liberal and fair... That is until I began reading this magical book on how to recognize bizarre outdated patterns within your own behavior and then what you needed to do in order to correct it. This book humbled me. I had no idea how truly mistaken I had been this whole time. Clearly times have changed and this is the best tool that I've found to address the lack of sensitivities that I never knew I suffered from. This book politely made me aware of my shortcomings and guided me on a journey towards powerful self-awareness.

Rhodes Perry’s book Belonging at Work should be required reading for not only managers and supervisors, but for everyone who interacts with others different from them in any fashion. Belonging at Work provides myriad stories, tips, exercises, and calls to action, all presented in Mr. Perry’s clear, congenial writing style.As a sole proprietor/consultant, I found so much of what he writes to be useful and applicable in my interactions with clients, as well as in volunteer organizations with which I am involved.The chapters are laid out in such a fashion that the reader is easily able to master the concepts and to implement actions at their places of work to ensure that organizational diversity, equity, and inclusion move beyond lip service or a one-off training to bona fide cultural change. Looking forward to more from this sought-after consultant and author.

“Belonging at Work is essential reading for corporations and organizations willing to move beyond discussion of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) principles to their implementation in the workplace. The book provides a strategic plan for implementing inclusion practices by providing a concise, comprehensive analysis of workplace barriers that undermine such practices. Belonging at Work recognizes that there are steady challenges to effectuating lasting change in an organization’s work culture and provides an inclusive and supportive plan for overcoming those challenges. Rhodes Perry’s insight and intersectional analysis guides employers committed to eliminating workplace barriers that impair an employee’s ability to belong at work. Belonging at Work is a roadmap for increasing workplace productivity by creating an environment where each employee belongs and thrives. Clearly, that is a winning combination that every employer should champion.” - L. Diaz

As a fellow workplace culture consultant, this book was exactly what I was looking for. It is so clearly written, and laid out in a way that is meant to be put to use right away. The best thing about this book is that it doesn't matter whether you're a seasoned diversity, equity, and inclusion professional, or you're brand new to most of the ideas and terminology––the book is immediately applicable to anyone who reads it. We all say we want to work at inclusive organizations; Rhodes shows us how to do it. . . and just as importantly, *why* it is so necessary that we do.