Our History

The seeds for BelongHQ were planted when, as a young person, Eric Knauf observed his father's transition from ministry to organizational development at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. Previously a Baptist minister, Knauf’s father was tasked with making "the bank a more human place for people to work." This early exposure to systems thinking shaped Knauf's understanding that belonging was about structural signals—whether people were supported or ignored by the system.  

Knauf's professional experience across fast-scaling startups, mature enterprises, and global teams  revealed a consistent pattern: talented people were struggling not because of capability issues, but because organizational systems failed to signal that they mattered. He observed organizations that recruited well but onboarded poorly and built cultures that appeared functional from a distance but faltered under pressure. 

The pivotal moment that led to BelongHQ came during a crisis at a tech company where Knauf was leading talent. Following a devastating restructuring that resulted in the elimination of 50% of the workforce, the employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) plummeted to -73. The Talent and Culture team, who had delivered the layoffs personally, was crushed. The team designed a two-day workshop starting with "getting the poison out"—a full day of brutal, honest feedback about leadership failures, including harsh critiques of his own decisions. Day two focused on envisioning their best possible future. This approach was then scaled company-wide as "Voice of the Employee"—voluntary focus groups where 15% of employees could speak candidly about the company's direction. The sessions generated over 100 pages of feedback and 76 specific recommendations for improvement.Leadership committed to addressing the top three recommendations and provided monthly progress updates. The result: eNPS jumped from -73 to +8 in just six months. Employee feedback captured the transformation: "I've never been more optimistic about being here than I am today" and "every day since then, I've become increasingly excited about our future."  

This experience revealed that belonging isn't about inspiration or communication—it's about systematic processes for hearing, acting on, and following through with employee input. The methodology that saved this organization became the foundation for what would become BelongHQ.  

BelongHQ emerged from proving that belonging could be measured, managed, and systematically improved. The company was built around the principle that "belonging isn't something to encourage, it's something to build" through structured processes rather than good intentions.  

BelongHQ was created because most belonging initiatives fail by ignoring how people actually think and behave. The Voice of the Employee success demonstrated that belonging infrastructure—with systematic processes, specific metrics, and measurable frameworks—could deliver transformational results even in crisis situations.

• Eric Knauf, Founder - Led talent functions at Ariba (SAP), Workrise, Commvault, and Tradeshift. Watched organizations hemorrhage millions in replacement costs while launching feel-good culture programs that changed nothing. Built the framework that actually works.
• Our Organizational Psychologists - PhDs who translate neuroscience research into business systems. They know the difference between what sounds good in academic journals and what survives quarterly pressure in real organizations.
• Our Sales & Engagement Veteran - Spent years selling engagement solutions and watching them fail. Knows firsthand why measuring employee happiness doesn't improve employee performance. Now builds measurement systems that predict problems instead of documenting them.
• Our Employee Experience Leader - Former VP who learned that employee experience programs without belonging infrastructure become expensive compliance theater. Designs communication and experience systems that reinforce belonging rather than undermine it.
• What We Don't Do: Run belonging workshops, facilitate culture conversations, or help you craft inspiring mission statements.
• What We Do: Build measurement systems that predict retention risks months in advance. Design manager enablement that changes daily behaviors, not just quarterly surveys. Create governance structures that survive leadership changes and budget cuts.
• The Result: Organizations that can measure, manage, and maintain belonging like any other business-critical infrastructure.