The Dopamine Effect
Some companies see reward and recognition as a ‘nice to have’ when it comes to improving employee performance at work, a fluffy HR strategy that requires investment and resource to implement but is unlikely to make a huge difference on the bottom line. However, it is a biological fact that when displaying gratitude and rewarding or praising someone for a job well done, a neurotransmitter called Dopamine is released within the brain producing positive feelings of satisfaction and enjoyment. But the effect can be short-lived, so it’s important to the human brain to maintain a regular supply of these ‘hits’ and therefore an individual is encouraged to seek out or repeat whatever behaviours produced the desired effect in the first place.
Read more