WHY CREATIVITY IN THE WORKPLACE IS ESSENTIAL

You’re an employer. An employer who has their processes, their ideas, and their goals. So, the thought of your employees being creative might make you feel a bit uneasy.

But for those processes to work effectively, for those ideas to become a reality, and for those goals to be reached – employees need to be creative.

Of course, following the rules and processes are a part of life – especially at work. But creativity shouldn’t be mistaken for rebellion, but instead seen as a way you can encourage your employees to make the most of their skills and enjoy work.

IT GIVES EMPLOYEES A SENSE OF PURPOSE

People want to make money, and they want solid careers, but something that doesn’t get talked about anywhere near as much is that people want to have a sense of purpose.

Going into an office 8 hours a day where they’re doing a job that doesn’t inspire them, doesn’t make them excited, and makes them desperate for the 5 pm finish is not ideal. Of course, this could be down to them not finding a role they love, but often, it’s down to them being in a company that doesn’t inspire them.

Allowing your employees to give their ideas and add their creative flair provides them with more than just a job – but something they feel they can truly put their heart into.

It could be as simple as:

• Encouraging them to think outside of the box when starting a new project
• Asking them for their input on a topic you know they’re knowledgeable in
• Giving them more autonomy in decision making

As an employer, you can’t fulfil every dream – but what you can do is show an employee that you care about how work impacts their life, not just how it impacts the company.

IT’S A GREAT WAY TO MAKE EMPLOYEES FEEL VALUED

• Nearly half of American workers (46%) have left a job because they feel unappreciated
• 65% said they would work harder if they felt their contributions were noticed

(Yahoo Finance ) You’ll find it difficult to retain employees if you don’t make them feel valued – and allowing them to be creative is a great way to do that.

Promising an employee that their career will reach phenomenal heights is a great promise in theory, but if you shut down every creative idea they have – they can quickly begin to feel like they’re not needed.

And not only that – it can be disheartening. As a manager, you can promote, demote, fire, and hire, so it’s no secret that your employees want to impress you. Their career is somewhat in your hands.

And rather than using this to emphasise your power over employees, use it to build them up by reminding them that they’re a valuable addition to the company.

HELPS YOU TO BUILD TRUST IN YOUR EMPLOYEES

Micromanaging usually stems from a fear of failure and a lack of trust in your employees to do the work properly.

And for a lot of managers, they believe this approach is beneficial, but the truth is: it doesn’t.

• 85% say micromanaging decreases their confidence
• 55% claim it hurts their productivity

And if that doesn’t persuade you enough, 69% considered changing jobs because of micromanagement and 36% actually did (Slingshot ).

But not only does this impact how employees feel about you, it impacts how you feel about them.

Disallowing creativity is effectively saying no idea, plan, or strategy is as good as yours and if anyone does it differently – it’ll automatically go wrong. This can cause tremendous amounts of stress for you as a manager because you feel the need to control everything, and you probably can’t feel comfortable with your employees working without your constant input.

The hard but freeing truth is: your employees are incredible individuals who, if given more freedom, will not only be productive, but they’ll produce amazing work and support you in your role.

Yes, support you. The workplace is all about each person collaborating towards something great, so allow yourself to see your employee’s strengths and trust their abilities – that’s why you hired them in the first place.

PROMOTES COLLABORATION AND TEAMWORK

Creativity isn’t just beneficial for a manager/ employee relationship but also for employee/ employee relationships.

Without creativity, true teamwork and collaboration aren’t possible. Dreary, micromanaged environments can not only cause employees to be afraid of sharing ideas with colleagues, but it can stunt their relationships with each other overall.

If you want a company that not only has an amazing company culture, but also has fantastic productivity, constantly improving, and people actually enjoying their jobs – you have to encourage collaboration.

And collaboration isn’t something that can be forced. If employees are excited about the company’s goals, about their future careers, and about the things they’re learning, they’ll want to share ideas and work with colleagues towards a shared goal.

Having a team that gets along, supports each other, and shares ideas is a team that will thrive.

IT KEEPS THE BUSINESS INNOVATIVE

Your team has ideas that you’ve never thought of. Your team, when working together, will think of ideas they would never have thought of without each other. Your team, when feeling supported and encouraged by their boss, will be far more creative, innovative, and supportive towards the company’s goal.

Innovation is the only way to keep a company growing, especially in the 21st century. With start-ups promoting creativity and autonomy for employees, it’s crucial to stay in the loop – and the only way to do that is to let your employees unleash their potential.

EMPLOYEES WILL CARE ABOUT THE COMPANY

Want employees that are committed to the vision of the company? Let them be creative.

If employees can actively see their work is making an impact, they’re able to share in the successes and work with you to think of ways to improve, it’s only natural that they’ll care more.

Just like giving them a sense of purpose, giving them a vision that they can truly get involved in, is an amazing way to keep employees engaged and productive. Not only will they be ambitious to earn more money, and be promoted to higher positions, but they’ll be ambitious to see the entire company grow.

This is especially important for smaller companies. People want to feel like they’re a part of something big, and encouraging creativity is the best way for them to feel like they are.