When employees quit, leaders often ask, “What went wrong?” At Wipro, they asked a better question: “Who are we hiring, and do we really know them?” That question sparked one of the most revealing experiments in creating cultures of belonging.
In a busy call center in India, new hires were trained to handle customer complaints. The work was repetitive, the pace relentless, and the turnover punishing. To fix it, Wipro tried something different.
Two groups of new employees went through onboarding. The first group received the standard welcome: company values, mission statements, and performance expectations. The second group began differently. Instead of hearing about the company, they talked about themselves. Each person shared stories about their strengths, what made them proud, and moments when they had been at their best.
Same job, same pay, same workload.
But the results were striking. Six months later, the “personal story” group had 50 percent lower attrition and higher performance ratings. The difference was not better training or tighter management, it was belonging. By helping people connect their identity to their work, Wipro built one of the clearest examples of how cultures of belonging drive performance and loyalty. Employees were not simply answering calls for a company, they were showing up as themselves. When people feel seen, they stay.
Here are three lessons for executives who want to build cultures of belonging.
- Start with identity, not instruction. Before teaching people what to do, help them see who they are and how that connects to the mission.
- Design belonging into onboarding. The first days shape the story employees tell themselves about your culture. Make it personal, not procedural.
- Recognize the multiplier effect of being seen. Feeling valued does not just boost morale, it fuels performance, creativity, and commitment.
Leaders who cultivate cultures of belonging do more than retain people, they unlock energy, trust, and meaning. If you stripped away the corporate slides and mission statements, how well could your people say who they are and why that matters to your organization?
Dr. Mark DeVolder is a Top Change Management & Transformation Expert, Award Winning Motivational Keynote Speaker Empowering Confidence through Change. Mark can teach you how to change, anticipate business trends and accelerate future-proof transformation. He’s done it before with industry leaders like Qatar Petroleum, PepsiCo, Royal Bank of Canada and Pfizer.
