How to make the most of your creative employees

Creativity is complex. There is no sure-fire way to call it from the ether, yet for employees whose job description includes the words ‘creative’, they need to do just that.

For many businesses, creativity and innovation is an essential part of growth and revenue production. How can businesses, therefore, support the creative process and develop IT solutions that can improve the productivity of their creative employees in a positive way?

Let creative employees work where they feel most comfortable

Sometimes, the most creative places to work can’t be found in an office at all.

There are many ways businesses can shape their physical environment for the benefit of their employees, creative or otherwise. Make sure employees have the necessary space to think, such as a ‘chill out’ zone, have a seating plan that allows employees to interact with each other, or even introduce natural elements into the office in the form of flora.

There’s more to improving creativity than making your office look nice. Architectural consultancy firm Gensler found that having a variety of options of where to work, such as a sitting or standing desk, or as part of a group or on their own, led to happier and more innovative employees – being forced to work in a single location had the opposite effect.

Sometimes the most creative places to work aren’t found in an office at all. For many ‘creatives’, innovation might flow best in a park, on the bus, or at home. In this case, IT solutions that allow creative employees to work remotely without sacrificing productivity can help employees work wherever inspiration strikes.

Let them use the devices they work best with

We’re creatures of habit, and many creative employees will have their own devices and systems they’re most familiar with. Much like how forcing employees to work in a limited area negatively impacts productivity, requiring ‘creatives’ to work with the unfamiliar can have similar results. It might be wise to consider adopting BYOD strategies in your workplace.

BYOD has the intrinsic advantage of combining familiar technology with business function, leading to a happier, more productive workforce. With Mac integration options available, the current 80-20 split between Windows and OS X users won’t pose a problem to businesses reports Statista.

As Auckland’s leading Apple premium service provider, we’re the experts in Mac integration. To find out more about how our IT solutions can improve the creativity of your team, get in touch with us today.