Are your employees getting their daily dose of DOSE? – A neuroscience perspective to enhance employee engagement

Abstract

Purpose To provide an alternative, neuroscience perspective to enhance employee engagement in companies. Design/methodology/approach The authors have undertaken extensive literature review to identify the key neurotransmitters that enhances employee motivation. The paper list four neurochemicals - DOSE (Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin and Endorphins) are called “angel chemicals” that enhance the overall well-being of people. The characteristics of these neurochemicals and their impact on employee engagement are discussed briefly in the paper. Care has been taken to ensure the language used in the paper is not medical terminologies but what is widely used in the business world - to make it relevant for HR managers and leaders in the Industry. Findings Dopamine (Mood elevator that enhances happiness and is associated with memory, learning, planning and productivity), Oxytocin (that enhances bonding, trust and empathy), Serotonin (that helps maintain emotional balance and enhances well-being) and Endorphins (boosts self-esteem and reduces anxiety) are all known to enhance productivity, improve collaboration, increase prosocial behavior, reduce stress and boost the overall well-being of the employees. These concepts are both the necessary goldilocks conditions and celebrated output of having highly engaged workforce. Many of the triggers for synthesizing DOSE in the body needs small modifications in the office environment and cost-effective interventions as shared in the paper. Companies have spent several hundred billion dollars on employee engagement initiatives with limited success. HR leaders now have an alternative, neuroscience perspective to consider as part of their overall employee engagement strategy. Originality/value This paper provides insights into this important concept of employee engagement from a neuroscience perspective. Leveraging DOSE to enhance employee engagement is a new concept that HR managers now can use to augment their employee engagement interventions to enhance the teams’ morale.