The Culture We Create in the Small Moments

When people think about workplace culture, they often picture mission statements, values on the wall, employee engagement surveys, or company events.

I think culture is much simpler than that.

It’s built in the small moments, moments like whether someone remembers your work anniversary, whether your manager congratulates you for earning your master’s degree or completing a certification, or whether your team celebrates when a child graduates, when someone finishes cancer treatment, or when someone reaches a personal milestone they’ve worked years to accomplish.

Those moments may seem small, but they send a much bigger message: you matter here.

After COVID, I think many of us began looking at work differently. We all spend a significant portion of our lives at work, and people have become more intentional about where they choose to invest their time and energy. Salary and benefits still matter, but culture matters too. More people are asking themselves, Do I feel valued? Do I feel connected? Do I feel like I belong?

That last question is one I don’t think we talk about enough.

Organizations often speak about inclusion, but inclusion and belonging are not the same thing. Inclusion gives someone a seat at the table, while belonging is the feeling that your voice matters once you’re there.

Early in my career, I was often the only Latina on an executive team. I had a seat at the table, and by most definitions, I was included. But there were times when it felt like inclusion was where the journey ended. I was invited into the room, yet I still questioned whether I truly belonged there. That experience reinforced something I’ve carried with me throughout my career: you can be included without ever feeling like you belong.

Brené Brown has written extensively about our need for connection and reminds us that fitting in and belonging are very different. Fitting in asks us to change ourselves to meet someone else’s expectations, while belonging allows us to show up as our authentic selves. I believe the same is true in our workplaces. Belonging is created when people feel seen, heard, respected, and valued—not just for what they produce, but for who they are.

Gallup’s research consistently shows that employees who receive meaningful recognition are more engaged and more likely to stay with their organizations. Recognition isn’t simply about making people feel good; it’s one of the most visible ways leaders communicate that people matter. When people feel valued, trust grows, relationships strengthen, and belonging begins to take root.

This is also why I believe belonging isn’t created by HR alone. HR can influence culture, and executives can define culture, but belonging is created every day by managers and teammates through ordinary interactions. It happens in one-on-one conversations, team meetings, quick check-ins, and moments when someone chooses to acknowledge another person’s accomplishment or simply asks how they’re doing.

The good news is that creating belonging doesn’t require a large budget or a new initiative. Most leaders already have the tools they need, and the impact often comes from consistency rather than complexity.

Use onboarding conversations to learn more than someone’s job history. Ask about their interests, career goals, and the milestones that are important to them. And just as importantly, take time to understand how they like to be recognized. Not everyone wants a spotlight. Some people feel energized by public celebration, while others prefer a quiet note, a private thank-you, or no public attention at all. Tailoring recognition to the individual is one of the most respectful ways to show you truly see them.

Keep track of birthdays, work anniversaries, and other meaningful dates by using Outlook or your calendar so those moments don’t go unnoticed.

Protect the first few minutes of your one-on-one meetings. Before discussing deadlines and projects, ask how someone is doing, what they’re excited about, or what’s been challenging lately. Those conversations build trust in ways status updates never will.

Add a “Celebrations and Recognition” section to recurring meeting agendas and invite team members to recognize each other’s accomplishments, whether they’re work-related or personal. Use brief icebreakers that encourage people to connect as human beings rather than jumping straight into the agenda.

None of these ideas are complicated, but together they create something powerful. They remind people that they are not just employees filling roles, but individuals whose lives, preferences, and experiences matter.

This isn’t about creating a participation trophy culture where every action deserves applause. It’s about recognizing that people don’t stop being human when they come to work. They bring their hopes, families, accomplishments, disappointments, celebrations, and struggles with them every day, and a healthy culture makes room for all of that.

And sometimes, it’s not even the celebrations that matter most—it’s the acknowledgment in the harder moments.

I think about a personal example. My dad’s father passed away, and while his workplace knew he had taken bereavement leave, there was very little acknowledgment when he returned. It didn’t need to be a long conversation, and it didn’t require the perfect words, but a simple recognition of what he had gone through would have meant something. The absence of that acknowledgment stayed with him.

That’s the thing about these moments. They don’t have to be big to be meaningful, but they are deeply human.

Maya Angelou once said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

When I think back on the leaders who had the greatest impact on me, I don’t remember them because they managed projects exceptionally well. I remember them because they made people feel seen. They celebrated successes, acknowledged difficult seasons, and understood that building relationships wasn’t separate from the work—it was part of the work.

Culture isn’t built during annual engagement surveys or leadership retreats. It isn’t built in big moments or formal programs. It’s built in the small, everyday interactions that shape how people experience work.

And perhaps the most important question we can ask ourselves isn’t whether people are included, but whether they truly feel like they belong. You don’t need a title to do this, and you don’t need to be a manager, director, or executive. You just need to be a colleague who notices.

Today, take one small step. Acknowledge someone’s effort. Cele

brate a win. Ask someone how they’re really doing, and then be quiet and listen. Don’t rush to fill the silence or move on to the next topic. Just listen. Reach out to someone who may be going through a hard season, even if you’re not sure what to say. Because belonging isn’t built in programs or policies. It’s built between people, in moments of attention, care, and presence. And all of us have a role to play in that.