When it comes to stimulating your creativity, the workplace can be a little lackluster. Depending on what you do, work can leave you feeling pretty mundane by the end of the day, but there are many ways to combat this feeling.
Companies like Google, Twitter and Facebook have used their resources to provide employees with office spaces, and countless other outlets, meant to create inspiration in the workplace. Although some are more lavish than others, it’s amazing the difference that can be made by introducing a little color into the work environment.
If your day-to-day routine isn’t conducive to creativity, giving the space a facelift can do wonders for you and your employees or anyone else looking to reinvigorate their creative side. For anyone looking to increase creativity at work, use some of these techniques to pump up your workforce and get the creative juices flowing.
Renovate
When it comes to boosting creativity, renovating the workplace is an excellent first step. Obviously there are some limitations to this, but even the subtlest of additions can be transformative for people. All it takes is a little bit of color in some of the drab parts at work and you’ll have people feeling creative in no time.
- Storage lockers and other necessary, but otherwise dull, parts of the office can be purchased in a variety of different colors and even decorated by you and your employees.
- Encourage employees to bring artwork and other flair from home to personalize their workspace and make work a brighter and more colorful place.
- If you have a lot of blank walls at work, hang up company posters and art to keep your employees stimulated throughout the day.
Move
Moving things around at work is a great way to get the blood pumping and give the space some new perspective. If you and your employees have never changed the seating arrangement, layout or overall vibe of where you work, it may be time to rethink how you use the space you have. Fortunately, drastic changes don’t have to be made to change things up.
- If you have a seating arrangement, change it up every couple months so that the work environment doesn’t stagnate and so employees have a chance to get to know everyone they work with and swap ideas.
- Depending on where you work, don’t be afraid to knock down the cubicle walls and open up the space a little bit. This will allow for more discussion and thus more opportunities to be inspired.
- Always encourage employees to take breaks to walk around and get outside. By doing so you’ll better morale and help combat that mid afternoon sleepiness.
Brainstorm
Creativity flows very well when people start putting their heads together. If you’re the one in charge, try relinquishing some power for once, or simply ask your employees and coworkers to throw in some feedback about the problem at hand. This will create a level playing field for everyone, and with ideas flowing together, a more positive and creative work environment.
- You may be responsible for the decision making at work, but never forget that your employees are an excellent resource for feedback. Ensure that they have a voice and that they use it when opportunities arise.
- Hold weekly or monthly meetings where employees and managers can discuss talking points and how to make everyone’s efforts at work more effective.
- Regardless of where you work, always make sure there’s an open avenue for dialogue and discussion between employees and employers.
- If at all possible, take company retreats to get to know the people you work with better and discuss ideas. The change of scenery will harbor more creative discussions and lead to excellent problem solving.
No matter what you do for a living, bolstering creativity is always a great way to improve work conditions. Whether it’s coming up with ideas for a new project, or figuring out how to improve efficiency, creating a space and environment that encourages critical thinking is highly effective. When in doubt, use your head, and always remember that a little imagination goes a long way.
James Anderson is a freelance writer and business adviser. He was born and raised in West Virginia and enjoys writing for School Lockers.
