PeerFives for better Physical-Mental-Social Wellbeing

In the past two years, a large number of people have been working remotely, far away from their colleagues, in environments that may undoubtedly be convenient. Still, the circumstances and isolation do end up taking a toll on the physical, mental, and social well-being. It is here that organizations of all sizes have realized that, indeed, peer recognition has become the need of the hour.

While peer recognition mechanisms of various kinds were already established in many workplaces, there wasn’t much importance given to these mechanisms. The physical presence of colleagues and a word or two of praise along with the annual appraisals seemed to keep the ship afloat. However, with peers scattered in different locations, a void has to be filled. To ensure that each individual is happy in the organization and due credit is given to honest work or earnest efforts, there is the requirement of a system that ensures that peers can communicate with each other, commend good work, and ultimately reward each other. To give organizations a simple one-stop solution, we have PeerFives.

PeerFives, is a simplistic yet mindful approach to peer recognition, and in this article, we aren’t here to discuss the salient features of PeerFives, rather here we share the various ways in which PeerFives contributes to the overall well-being of a user. However, before we delve into details, let us understand the science behind peer recognition and what exactly PeerFives aims to achieve.

Human brains are hardwired to crave recognition and praise. Several studies show that any form of recognition stimulates the dopamine receptors and hypothalamus areas of our brain. This causes an instant release of dopamine, and in nature’s own way, we feel a sense of pride. This is akin to the “feel-good sensation” and leads to increased satisfaction at work, better human social interactions, and a more optimistic approach towards life itself.

Across the globe, most organizations followed a simple downward-flowing employee recognition system. While this did give satisfaction to an individual about their work being recognized by higher-ups, it did also come after long intervals and didn’t continuously motivate them. Peer recognition programs have recently gained steam; that’s where PeerFives makes things simple. Using PeerFives, individuals get the platform to recognize good work or great efforts by their peers. Anything from a spontaneous compliment to a well-thought reward, it’s all possible!

PeerFives opens new vistas and allows recognition to flow in all directions rather than restricting it to a downward flow in an organization.

The first direct outcome of a successful peer recognition campaign using PeerFives can be seen when employees exhibit better mental well-being at the workplace. No matter what the environment is, the employees tend to feel appreciated and have a positive outlook on a regular basis. One can relate this to players in a team from any team sport. They constantly motivate each other, highlight the good in public, share flaws or shortcomings with each other in private, and work together for victory. While there is a coach, a few positive words or rewards from teammates prove to go a long way.

With PeerFives’ peer recognition program, organizations can increase team engagement and a huge influx of positive emotions in the work environment. Often when there is no public recognition of good work, negative emotions such as jealousy, hatred, and malice all tend to find the ground. They quickly sow the seeds of distrust amongst peers, which hampers the organization’s growth on the whole apart from putting pressure on individuals to focus on individuals and personal growth rather than organizational success.

Additionally, peer recognition using PeerFives helps employees share a genuine bond beyond work as well. There is a sense of being one large family when good work is regularly recognized and rewarded. Shining bright in the spotlight cements every individual to be the protagonist of their own stories.

As explained in the sections above, the science behind recognition does have a solid foundation. People tend to have an increased dopamine release when they are praised for good work. This dopamine is vital in ensuring that we as humans live healthier and are in a good state of mind. The hypothalamus is known to regulate stress levels in humans and can directly affect how you physically perform in a work environment. The hypothalamus is also vital in controlling your metabolism, thereby enabling you to be in better physical shape if you are in a good space of mind due to the positive effects of peer recognition.

Peer recognition using PeerFives shall certainly end up with users making healthier choices in their day-to-day lives. “The key to a healthy life is having a healthy mind,” so don’t be surprised when you see PeerFives users being secure in life, mentally positive and up, and about focussing on their physical well-being, knowing that everything is on the work front is paying off.

Social well-being due to successful peer recognition programs using PeerFives is proven. Recognition and praise are known to stroke a pro-social behavioral instinct in humans. The workplace shall instantly see individuals indulging in activities that are for the benefit of their peers. Right from something as simple as sharing stationary to having great personal bonding.

A chain of positivity can be seen; individuals are more likely to sign up for volunteering activities, social betterment campaigns, and even donation drives for noble causes. The urge to do more for the community shall stem from within, and this is something that cannot be evoked with even the fattest of paychecks.

In what can be termed as an obvious conclusion, there seems to be a domino effect when it comes to peer recognition using PeerFives. The dopamine release and feel-good factor last for only a short while. Thus, frequency plays a big role. With PeerFives, there is a regular cycle of peer recognition, a chain that ensures mental well-being, which then leads to physical well-being, and ultimately a combination of them leading to overall social well-being. If you too wish to try using PeerFives for your organization. Contact us for a demo now!