CAN NEUROSCIENCE BE APPLIED IN HRM: EXPLORING THE ATTITUDES OF HR PROFESSIONALS IN SERBIA 2025EBM24Зборници

The relationship between the human brain and human behaviour has always intrigued the researchers around the world. Technological innovations have propelled the growth of neuroscience and made possible its application in different fields, including human resource management (HRM). There are many HRM activities in which the application of neuroscience may useful, such as recruitment and selection, training and development, talent management, performance appraisal etc. Neuroscience fundamentals offer valuable insights and guidance for HR professionals. Through applying principles from neuroscience, organizations can gain a deeper understanding of their employees in order to manage them more effectively. The aim of this paper is to explore how familiar HR professionals in Serbia are with the use of neuroscience in HRM as well as to examine their attitudes towards the possibilities for its application, the advantages and disadvantages of implementing neuroscience in this field. An empirical study was conducted among 67 HR professionals in Serbia in 2024 through an online questionnaire. The results of the survey have shown that the majority of respondents (79.1%) are not familiar enough with the use of neuroscience in the field of HRM. However, the results of the study are still encouraging since 88.1% of respondents show willingness to learn about the possibilities to use neuroscience in HRM if they were provided the opportunity. HR professionals in Serbia believe that neuroscience in HRM may be used mainly for measuring employee stress levels, improving employee performance, increasing employee engagement, and improving the employment process. However, lack of knowledge, lack of understanding, together with huge implementation costs, resistance to change and ethical concerns present major barriers to implementing this innovation. The research has proved that this field is still underexplored in Serbia, but the fact that HR professionals show readiness to be educated in this field if they were given the opportunity is promising. It may be concluded that the integration of neuroscience into human resource management is still in its early stages and requires significant development. Organizations should find ways to understand how to make the best use of neuroscience in managing their human resources as potential benefits are expected to be significant.