AN APPROACH BASED ON NEUROSCIENCE
It’s not rocket science, it’s neuroscience.
Neuroscience is a big word that sounds really sciency. Yes, it is exactly that, but for us, it’s a better approach to human resource management. Knowing how people are wired helps you fund the best solutions when it comes to developing people strategy. We have broken it down, to make it more meaningful, digestible and accessible to all.
The most fascinating computer that is still not fully understood, is the brain. There are nearly 8 billion different versions of it. Neuroscience has different streams within it, but the principles we work from are:
1. Our bodies and brains work together, and against each other
2. Our emotions are our body’s way of communicating to us
In the very hectic and noisy world we live in – we often can’t hear / don’t realise / pick up on the signals our bodies are flagging to us. Over time, or when something significant happens, we combust through being overwhelmed and unable to process effectively. Or, we simply don’t have the time to properly process because we’re moving onto the next thing. This is especially prevalent in the workplace when we feel the pressure to perform.
Our emotional brain function often overrides the logical bit, and that results in instructing our emotions to intensify feelings of stress, anxiety, depression, low mood, fatigue and conflict. The more we enable our emotional brain to control us, the more difficult it is to enable the rational part. It’s about balance.
Applying neuroscience to human resource management
From our perspective, here at The HR Hive, our ambition is to get people to listen to their emotions so we can proactively manage them. The more effective we all are at managing ourselves and being mature of thought, the healthier our overall wellbeing will be. But, it’s really hard work at times and often goes against our innate instinct.
We believe, as employers, it’s your job to help people enable the rational part by:
• Giving clear and concise messages with regards to roles and responsibilities
• Prioritising workplace wellbeing so people have time and headspace to process effectively
• Excelling in communication and the art of conversation to reduce the potential for conflict
• Increasing mental health awareness so that managers and colleagues can spot the signs of the intensified emotions that can result in a more serious situation further down the line
Mental health awareness alongside neuroscience
Simplified, our use of neuroscience alongside our approach to human resource management is all about seeing people as individuals and respecting how their brain functions. As people, we all have our vulnerable moments and unfortunately some of us are more prone to these than others. That’s why it’s important to raise mental health awareness at work to recognise when people are suffering from stress, anxiety or other mental ill health. Make sure you read more information about our MHFA training and the great work of MHFA England
We respect neurodiversity and believe there are fair and equal ways to give everyone a fair chance to succeed at work. Upskilling your Line Managers in great communication Line Manager’s Playbook and helping them increase their emotional intelligence in paramount to this – it’s a vital part of your human resource management strategy.