Neuroscience is beginning to show how HR can lead businesses to better results. There are some ways in which the brain is hard-wired that can be harnessed to improve employees’ experience in the company. Looking at this through the lens of the employee life cycle should help to focus HR on the do’s and don’ts from a brain-friendly perspective.
The neuroscience findings contain lots of complexity and nuances but below are some good guidelines:
Recruitment: treat people equitably, because the brain has a heightened sense of fairness. Avoid assessment techniques that create stress and ensure you give lots of opportunities for people to get to know each other.
Performance management and reward: feedback creates an immediate threat. Develop a process that allows employees to rate their own performance, giving themselves the negative feedback, which is less threatening. If you have to give negative feedback, do it privately, and help the employee see how they can re-establish a sense of reward in the brain, for example, by learning new ways of working that enhance their reputation or options. Feed the brain’s sense of reward by designing multiple ways of rewarding people like spot bonuses, praise, enhanced recognition and reputation, and avoid rewards that become routine and expected. They will not work so well.
Development: provide people with an environment that encourages the mild stress that is ‘flow’ (energised focus), and introduce fun elements that engender a good mood. Space learning out, if possible, and design workshops by creating new ideas or a new activity every 10-15 minutes to keep the brain engaged. Design holistic learning that uses multiple senses and ensure learning is embedded through application, repeating skills development and creating new habits.
Leaving: manage disengagement, whether that is employee- or organisation-led by carefully loosening the bonds between groups. Create alumni and other types of long-term networks to maintain social relatedness.
Applying neuroscience to specific initiatives can get very good results but, if you do not feel knowledgeable enough, following a few simple guidelines can provide scientific back-up to your good practice.
Jan Hillsis a Partner in Orion Partners and works in Talent Strategy, HR capability and Change Leadership.![]()
The neuroscience findings contain lots of complexity and nuances but below are some good guidelines:
- Avoid threats and look for opportunities to create a sense of reward in the brain. ‘Threat’ or ‘reward’ will be felt unconsciously and drive behaviour before individuals understand why logically. There are four key domains that react to threat or reward- certainty, options, reputation and equity. Managing these will maximise results.
- The executive part of the brain - the prefrontal cortex - closes down under extreme stress and in any stress situation cognitive functioning is impaired.
- We are social beings; our need to relate to others is a primary driver.
- The brain will create habit whenever it can. Work with this in change and learning and development.
So looking at the employee life cycle here are a few things to do, and a few to avoid.
Recruitment: treat people equitably, because the brain has a heightened sense of fairness. Avoid assessment techniques that create stress and ensure you give lots of opportunities for people to get to know each other.
Performance management and reward: feedback creates an immediate threat. Develop a process that allows employees to rate their own performance, giving themselves the negative feedback, which is less threatening. If you have to give negative feedback, do it privately, and help the employee see how they can re-establish a sense of reward in the brain, for example, by learning new ways of working that enhance their reputation or options. Feed the brain’s sense of reward by designing multiple ways of rewarding people like spot bonuses, praise, enhanced recognition and reputation, and avoid rewards that become routine and expected. They will not work so well.
Development: provide people with an environment that encourages the mild stress that is ‘flow’ (energised focus), and introduce fun elements that engender a good mood. Space learning out, if possible, and design workshops by creating new ideas or a new activity every 10-15 minutes to keep the brain engaged. Design holistic learning that uses multiple senses and ensure learning is embedded through application, repeating skills development and creating new habits.
Leaving: manage disengagement, whether that is employee- or organisation-led by carefully loosening the bonds between groups. Create alumni and other types of long-term networks to maintain social relatedness.
Applying neuroscience to specific initiatives can get very good results but, if you do not feel knowledgeable enough, following a few simple guidelines can provide scientific back-up to your good practice.
Jan Hillsis a Partner in Orion Partners and works in Talent Strategy, HR capability and Change Leadership.