The five prerequisites for a highly effective workforce

When the five prerequisites for a highly effective workforce are met, our bodies release powerful hormones triggering intense feelings of reward and well-being. As a result, we are all chemical addicts looking for our next fix.

We combine social science and biology to help management teams create environments where there is:

1. A sense of belonging,

2. A sense of purpose,

3 A sense of empowerment,

4. Recognition and;

5. Robust mental and physical health.

People and businesses thrive when working environments fulfil these five basic human needs.

When we are in an environment where we feel safe and accepted, our bodies release Serotonin and Oxytocin, which give us powerful feelings of happiness and well-being. When we feel safe and accepted, we can trust those around us more. When we trust, we start to collaborate, and when we collaborate, productivity increases.

Serotonin and Oxytocin are social and collaborative rewards released simultaneously in the giver and receiver. When you give someone a gift, you feel a sense of joy, and likewise, the recipient feels joy when they receive your gift. When you win an award, graduate, or finish a race, and your friends and family show up and applaud, oxytocin and serotonin are released not only in you but also in your friends and family as they take pride in your achievement.

Serotonin and Oxytocin help us socialise and cooperate, developing feelings of trust, belonging and loyalty. When we feel like we belong to a family, tribe, or organisation, inclusivity is embraced, and we collaborate, which translates into productivity and growth. Staff retention improves when employees feel like they belong.

Put simply, it’s good for business when we create environments that meet our basic human needs.

When employees feel secure in a safe environment, they feel empowered, and creativity and innovation thrive, enabling companies to anticipate market trends.

Employees feel empowered, authorised and enabled to make mistakes within a safe environment. Opposites to empowerment include individualism, micromanagement, and blame culture, which stifles creativity and innovation. Where creativity and innovation are stifled, companies fail to anticipate market trends, and they slowly decline.

Companies that unwittingly ignore the basic human needs of their workforce do so at their peril.

Oxytocin and Serotonin reward collaboration and empowerment, and they are also released when we are encouraged and recognised by our peers and leaders.

Recognition encourages and motivates, which, again, in a business context, translates into productivity and uncommon growth.Serotonin, Oxytocin and the highly addictive Dopamine is released when we are recognised and encouraged for our achievements. Every human has an inherent desire to be recognised; even the shy among us crave secret recognition.

If recognition and encouragement are so powerful, why is recognition and encouragement used so sparingly in the workplace?Four primary chemicals stimulate happiness and a sense of well-being: serotonin, oxytocin, dopamine, and endorphins.

Dopamine and Endorphins provide instant and personal gratification, whereas serotonin and oxytocin give a more long-term sense of well-being and belonging. Dopamine and Endorphins reward achievement and exertion.

Purpose, progress, and achievement are the greatest motivators, and a dopamine rush is triggered when we achieve our goals and are recognised and rewarded. Dopamine is a highly addictive, feel-good neurotransmitter which also reinforces behaviour because we keep coming back for our next fix. When we have a sense of purpose, we move from being a passive spectator to a participator.

A dopamine rush is triggered when we achieve our goals and when we are recognised and rewardedAnnual appraisals tend to be retrospective, and bonuses could be more frequent and effective. In the workplace, goals must be quarterly, clearly defined, achievable and rewarded, resulting in increased productivity and uncommon growth.A positive working environment has a beneficial impact on our mental, emotional, and physical health. For example, it’s thought that low levels of serotonin and oxytocin are a cause of depression and directly impact our mental health.

Endorphins reward exertion, a natural pain killer that masks pain with a sense of euphoria. In our modern world, we experience endorphins from physical exercise at the gym, for example, or through hard physical labour. Our bodies also release endorphins when we laugh; where there’s laughter in the workplace, there’s happiness and a sense of well-being.

Physical exercise can help raise the levels of feel-good hormones in our bodies. Exercise and laughter release Endorphins, improving mental health in the workforce. Deficiencies in all four of these feel-good hormones can negatively impact our mental and physical health, but interestingly, physical exercise and fitness can, in turn, assist in raising the levels of all four feel-good chemicals in our bodies.

How much better could business be if we paid more attention to our psychological, emotional, and biological needs?