12.6.19 – CI- Zachary Comeau
Creativity can disappear if your team is stuck in a rut from the grind of the work week. If you can’t afford more time off, consider this idea.
If you own a company, are in a managerial role or work in human resources, there’s a good chance you’ve heard about burnout and the increasing importance of not only a work-life balance, but fostering creativity and autonomy among your staff.
Some companies like Microsoft have experimented with a four-hour work week, while others have tried out a five-hour workday.
What resulted from those practices were increased morale, a better work-life balance and an overall improved office culture.
Many integration firms work long hours on complicated projects and typically can’t afford to take time off, especially given the labor shortage and trouble finding qualified entry-level workers.
So, maybe scaling back work hours every week isn’t the answer for the pro AV industry, but what if you set aside some time for your employees to work on their passion projects?
That’s what digital product agency Crema did, giving employees free reign to do whatever they want every other Friday.
According to CEO and Co-founder George Brooks’ article in Fast Company, the only rule employees were given was that their activities had to be focused on learning, creating something new or an activity they wouldn’t have otherwise pursued.
That “creative time away from work” spurred innovation and creativity at the firm and injected new energy and efficiency into the company’s work.
“I learned that encouraging your employees to step away from routine work to learn something new or dream up ideas is a worthy activity with a significant return on investment.”
Brooks suggests giving your team full autonomy to scratch their creative itch, offer a structured environment for their personal development goals and embrace all ideas, no matter how outside-the-box they are.
Rather than going through the motions of a regular work cycle and getting stuck in the proverbial rut, think of creative ways like this to inject some energy and creativity into your company.
About the Author
ZACHARY COMEAU
Zachary Comeau comes from a journalism background with more than 8 years of experience writing for several daily newspapers and industry trade publications in Massachusetts. He joined Commercial Integrator in October 2019.