Do we actually need creativity in our workplace? It’s the most controversial topic I’ve ever faced in my blogging career. And when I asked my colleagues whether they knew any unusual ways to unleash creativity, most of them surprised me with these generalized phrases: ‘Creativity? It’s just a job.
You come and do what you’re said to and that’s all.’ or ‘Creativity is for you, writers and designers, sales managers shouldn’t unleash anything.’ However, creativity is not only about writing inspirational poetry and blog articles. You need this urge to complete your tasks successfully and keep the flame of professional interest burning.
Look what happens when employees do not engage creativity in their work:
- Low productivity
- Less devotion and passion
- Poor motivation
- Less accuracy
- More time-track oriented
- Less responsibility
- No desire to think outside-the-box
- Less engagement to find new solutions and ideas
- Heading to professional burnout
- Seeking a new job with better opportunities and challenges.
Most companies and employers have already realized the importance of encouraging creativity in their employees. And according to a 2016 survey of the Society for Human Research Management, the overall satisfaction level has increased to 88%. However, only 37% of employees are completely satisfied with their job.
Of course, apart from the lack of creativity, there are many other reasons for dissatisfaction such as low job security or compensation. But today we’ll focus on creativity as a sort of premise for your projects’ development and success.
All the ways to unleash creativity below can work effectively only if you use them in correlation.
Encourage your employees to use creativity boosting tools
Online apps for encouraging creativity can bring significant results if you support this trend among your employees. Make the list of recommended tools for your copywriters and content managers who need a lot of free research papers and resources. For example, check out Story Bird to find inspiration among other writers and iMindQ to brainstorm ideas and make logical presentations, etc.
Of course, many employees are fully aware of these tools but it’s still worth mentioning them because when information comes from a team lead or an executive it gains more importance.
Implement an employee development program
This is the simplest way to reinforce the motivation of your employees and show them that you don’t care only about your company’s ROI. Besides, when people are urged to enhance professional skills, they do not stop discovering something new and interesting they could use in their work. The efficient development program influences an employee in such a way that he stops limiting himself with a set of formal duties. Of course, a good training program can lead to extra expenses. But an employer who invests in their own workforce earns more respect and thus, builds long-term relationships with qualified employees.
Give bonuses for creative and worthwhile ideas
So, if you can’t interest your employees with a paid development program, I do advise you to actually pay for outside-the-box ideas that can either boost your conversion rates or influence positively the whole project. Believe me, you’ll get more feedback than you’ve ever expected. However, creativity rewarding can have a dark side since your employees can expect you to give them money for any new thought they come up with. And when you refuse to do that, you can face an indignant but silent reaction.
Put a creativity box to let employees share ideas anonymously
Not every person can shout out a brilliant idea in brainstorming heat! Those who are shy like me are more comfortable penning some worthwhile thoughts. The main reason is that some employees can be afraid of criticism, others need time to contemplate all possible negations and milestones until the idea gets the status ‘relevant to share’. This is why a creativity box would be a good offline tool to gather your employees’ ideas in one safe place.
Make working environment less formal
If you thought about playgrounds and rainbows reading this sub-headline, then you have a good creativity potential too. Yet you can make the creative environment in your office even not having bright bean bags and space for games. Just add more calm colors to your walls, soothing paintings that do not distract with aggressiveness, and flowers, which even men appreciate when you make a little trick and clean all the desks from pots.
Then the nudeness of the room strikes from first sight. Induce positive thinking and home feeling with free cookies to coffee and tea especially if cold and moody weather makes the tops of weather forecasts in your climate zone.
About the author
Veronica Hunt is an ed-tech expert and an experienced blogger. Veronica sees her purpose in providing her readers with up-to-date info in the spheres of marketing, entrepreneurship, and psychology. Apart from work, Veronica adores traveling and yoga. You can contact Veronica on Facebook or her Twitter @VeronicaHuntt.
