Hawthorne Effect

The Hawthorne effect is a phenomenon first observed in an experiment led by Elton Mayo. The experiment was meant to measure how changes in the work environment affected worker productivity, but Mayo’s researchers found that productivity actually went up simply because workers knew they were being watched, not because of any environmental change.

Applied to HR, the idea is that employee motivation can shift based on how aware people are that they are being observed and judged on their work. That is part of the reasoning behind regular evaluations and metrics employees are expected to meet.