8 Ways Neuroscience Can Unlock Employee Potential

Published in

The Business of People

4 min readNov 13, 2017

In-spite of the differences between every organisation, the quality that unites is the desire for employees who are content, committed and engaged with the work they do.

However, while known to be key to output for the organisation as a whole, many directors still doubt whether systemising these outcomes can ever be an attainable reality.

With modern science and advanced training course providers, there are already eight ways applied neuroscience can unlock potential from your employee:

Dealing with the Disengaged

Our minds require specific learning conditions to absorb information and help us perform.

Emotional distractions can hinder these conditions.

To most employers however, disengagement among some employees is seen as inevitable.

Consider enlisting the help of an organisation specialised in neuroscience to discover the true barriers preventing optimum performance.

Moulding Minds

Understanding is key to reconnecting with your employees. Having identified the root cause of any discontent, continue to keep your workforce on side by informing them of new systems or protocols before they are introduced- and don’t forget to give them the right to reply.

As one example, introducing an e-learning compliance package may be an excellent solution for facilitating this communication process.

From a training standpoint, we at Qintil have the first-hand experience of delivering packages that tap into the subtle channels that — each as aggregates to employee performance psychology- are a rare example of how innovative neuroscience and training delivery can work side-by-side.

The Contribution Concept

Reconnect your employees to the contributions they make to the company.

This can seem an alien concept to many who only perceive a gaping chasm between their seemingly small role and the company’s end product or service.

Disconnected means disengaged, but with the right delivery strategy, bridging this gap is often not as difficult as it seems.

Reaping Rewards

Neuroscientists believe that dopamine levels in our brain rise when a reward is expected. Measuring success using KPIs is a great start, but sharing results collaboratively is key to nurturing healthy competition and more clearly acknowledging results.

Furthermore, ‘gamification’ is an e-learning technique which can be used to incentivise employees: this combines traditional learning materials with game mechanics, such as attractive leader boards and point systems.

Spaced Repetition

Just as our busy brains only tend to retain the most immediately relevant information, so too do we prioritise repeated social behaviour.

Therefore, you may wish to consider systemising regular team ‘catch ups’: when it comes to enhancing the human side of important collaboration, ca coffee may be all that are necessary to foster healthy competition and collaboration- providing a direct impact on project targets.

Reducing Stress

Living in a digital era means living in a world which is ‘always turned on’, and 24/7.

This means that with lower stress comes a higher workforce output. However, creating the ‘culture crystal’ that fosters lower stress and subsequent higher output is often difficult at best.

In addition to flexible time recognition, modern organisations are now addressing this requirement with training in time management. Moreover, the most competitive organisations take this approach further by systemising continual development beyond the initial set-up; an environment that only certain programmes can provide.

Staying Connected: The Wonders of Oxytocin

While the need to maintaining enthusiasm among employees has long been recognised by organisations, the function of field trip events that boost employee morale is not always attainable due to travel or time constraints.

However, are online-only methods truly capable of emulating the same value achieved from employees engaging face-to-face?

To the surprise of many, the biggest difference is made not from channel quality, but from a programme structure that maximises one chemical: oxytocin.

Hidden behind a seemingly-unstructured ‘hello’ and ‘how are you’ is the molecule which helps us feel connected and achieve the relaxation that helps us perform our best.

So, bring humanity to the table, permitting five minutes for personal exchanges at the start of any business conversation or at the top of a meeting agenda.

Then sit back and watch, as many more collaborative and trusting working relationships are forged in the process.

Handle with Care

Encourage employees to approach their work with the same care, respect and sensitivity as handling a priceless antique.

As an employer, you can promote this further with some simple work ethics. Turning off mobile phones in meetings may be obvious to many, but is still a procedure not accounted for in most organisations.

However, making the effort to persuade your staff to do so re-enforces that their optimum output and engagement in top priority in every meeting and review.

In summary, neuroscientists have proven that in order to perform at our best, our minds must be primed for the task.

Engaging with staff openly, building on trusted relationships and tapping into traditional learning methods are all valuable approaches towards reconnecting with an existing workforce.

But surprisingly, only e-learning through a combination of neuroscientific approaches and continuing professional development (CPD), has the capacity to unlock the true potential of your employee.