University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
The Brain-Friendly Workplace
Book

The Brain-Friendly Workplace

Why Talented People Quit and How to Get Them to Stay

Friederike Fabritius
Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc., 2022
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Analytical
  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

Neuroscientist Friederike Fabritius offers a passionate, evidence-based approach to fostering workplace diversity and engagement. She draws on cutting-edge research demonstrating how brain chemistry informs personality, values, stress responses and cognitive styles. She makes a compelling case that workplaces should cater to the needs of employee “neurosignatures” to boost performance and retention. Her interviews with thought leaders like Thrive Global’s Arianna Huffington and molecular biologist John Medina provide inspiration and insight.

Summary

A rare opportunity exists to make workplaces more brain-friendly.

The COVID-19 pandemic changed work, and it also changed workers’ attitudes toward work. Massive resignations and movement between employers revealed workers’ deep dissatisfaction with traditional employee–employer relationships. But even before the pandemic hit, workers were becoming less tolerant of toxic employers and work cultures.

These trends were pronounced among women. Almost 90% of millennial women said they’d quit comfortable corporate positions due to dissatisfaction or not feeling heard. Other data bear out the difficulties women face in the workplace. For example, the attrition rate for female executives stands at 31%, and it only increases as women ascend the executive ranks. By the time a woman reaches the top, she’s three times more likely than a man to leave her job.

To make the workplace more welcoming to women – and everyone else, too – some employers have begun implementing a “brain-friendly” approach. This evidence-based approach aligns work with human needs rather than pushing against them. It recognizes that people have different ways of thinking and responding due to their...

About the Author

Neuroscientist Friederike Fabritius has pioneered the field of neuroleadership. She develops and leads brain-based leadership programs for Fortune 500 executives and serves on the prestigious German Academy of Science and Engineering.

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