Design Your Workplace to Encourage Creativity

If you find your employees are lacking the creative spirit, it may be necessary to make some changes to your work space. Here are some tips for helping your office become more friendly and open to good ideas. 

Foster Employee Connections

One way to spark creativity in your business is to connect with your employees. Make sure that they do not feel intimidated by you as their supervisor. For example, take them out to a new restaurant or even a happy hour to socialize after working hours. This will allow you to get to know them in a more relaxed and fun environment. Finding things in common with your employees and knowing their interests will help you when you interact with them in the future. Authenticity is extremely crucial for any genuine relationship, so own up to your mistakes and slip ups, and you will earn the respect of your employees. 

Find a Great Location

Sometimes changing the setting of your work can make all the difference if you are stuck in a creative rut. Luckily, there are many companies that rent out spaces for hourly or even daily rates, if you need a temporary change of scenery. For example, if you live in New York City, you can simply search on the internet for "New York Office Space" to find places that are within your area, budget, and time constraints. Be sure to let your employees know about the change in environment, so they can be prepared with all of the materials necessary to do the best work that they can.  

Make Yourself Available

Whether your workforce is in-house or remote, it is always a good idea to let them know that they can come to you with any issues or problems that arise in the workplace. You can also encourage them to bring new ideas to the table as well. When an employee requests time with you, try to fit in as soon as possible to make sure they know that they are valued, and their input is important, no matter what level they are at in the company. Employees who feel that they can talk to their supervisors are much more likely to think out of the box when coming up with ideas and solutions to tasks or goals. 

Encourage Employee Collaboration

While it is integral for yourself and your employees to function well together, it is also crucial for them to work well together when you are not directly involved. Collaboration in the office space can manifest itself in working together to come up with solutions to a long standing issue, divvying up tasks to help them get done more quickly, or putting together an agenda for a team meeting that is run by the employees and not the managers. There are many applications and types of software that encourage collaboration and can make the process much easier and even fun and entertaining for participants. 

Provide Snacks and Stress Relievers

It has been shown in many studies that hunger hinders productivity and focus. If you have extra in your budget, try to provide snacks and healthy beverages for your employees as often as possible. Lean towards fresh fruit, yogurt, and other easy-to-grab treats that can be eaten at a desk and are also packed with essential nutrients. Other good snacks that do not require refrigeration include nuts, such as cashews and almonds, whole grain crackers, dried fruit or trail mix, granola, and popcorn. You can also keep containers of these in the break room and have employees stock up when they need to work on something that requires long periods of time at their desk or workspace. 

Creativity in the workplace is not difficult to achieve if you have the perfect environment for it. With these tips, you are guaranteed to have a much happier workforce that is more open to ideas and solutions to your business problems.