5 ideas for boosting Staff Creativity in the Workplace

Great ideas drive businesses and make companies successful. If you look at history, you will see how people with innovative ideas have led companies to success. In today's competitive business scenario, innovation and creativity assume greater significance. Organizations, therefore, need to look for new ways to motivate their employees to unleash their creativity.

Here are some tips to motivate employees and make your office a dynamic place to work at:

1 Create situations and an Ambiance to Discuss Ideas
On average, an employee spends about 8 to 9 hours at his workplace. This presents a great opportunity to bring out the best in every employee. Interactive and informal jamming sessions are a great way to discuss topics and brainstorm on ideas. Many successful CEOs have said that some of the best ideas have come up during coffee breaks (sidenote - we get our coffee from Irish coffee subscription supplier Coffee Drop!.

While hosting jamming sessions, it is essential to keep the ambiance informal as it helps employees to share their ideas with confidence. Senior managers, in particular, should take a proactive role in encouraging team members to share their thoughts.

2 Leverage the Intranet
Many people are hesitant to discuss their good ideas openly. In the process, great concepts are not even explored. An Intranet can address this problem and encourage employees to share their thoughts with confidence. Newsletters and intranet pages are great tools that can bring out staff creativity.

It is extremely important to make this medium conversational and engaging. Moreover, employees should not feel constrained while expressing their thoughts.

3 Boost Team Spirit
About 53% of working professionals enjoy participating in activities beyond their job role (Source: Society for Human Resource Management). As collaboration is a key way to building productive teams and creating a happy working environment, it is a good idea to boost team spirit.

Organize team events to encourage your staff to participate in group activities and collaborate with one another. You can also motivate them to participate in CSR activities by sharing great ideas.

4 Appreciate a Job Well Done
Nothing works better than making your employees feel valued at the company they work for. Appreciating them for a job well done gives them the encouragement to do better. It is also a great way to promote employee creativity at work. While rewarding them gives them a great motivation to innovate, a simple thank you note added to everyone in the team adds to their confidence levels.

5 Provide Flexibility
Happy workplaces allow employees to balance their work and personal lives without any hassle. It is, therefore, important to have flexible practices that can promote staff creativity. By allowing them to bring in their style of working, you can help them become more productive and loyal to the organization. This is illustrated by a Mom Corps’ national online survey which found that “45% of those who responded would be willing to give up on average as much as 8.5% of their salary for more flexibility at work”.

Retaining talent and getting the best out of employees is a top priority for most employers. With some smart practices and initiatives, you can unleash staff creativity and encourage them to give in their best.

Photo Source - New York Times

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