Creativity is more important than ever, particularly for companies that need to find new ways to drive hybrid working models. Unfortunately, it can be quite difficult to spark creativity when working from home and even more difficult to encourage creativity amongst your team. In this article, Director Mark Fallon shares his tips on encouraging remote creativity for company success.

1. ENSURE WORKSPACE FLEXIBILITY
A change in scenery is often a great way to recharge the creative batteries. Perhaps it involves moving your office setup to a new room that has a great view or some colourful paintings hanging on the wall, or maybe it is a complete shift in location to a relative’s house or even a park bench. Whatever the choice, the change will be sure to enhance your creative process.

2. FIND YOUR CREATIVE HOURS
Depending on your role or personal circumstances, you may find the best time to be creative is first thing in the morning, or last thing at night before going to sleep. It is important to adjust your work hours accordingly to allow for this time, ensuring that the appropriate resources are available for you when you are at your peak creativity (even if it is just a pen and notebook on the bedside locker!).

3. SCHEDULE VIRTUAL BRAINSTORMING SESSIONS
Ideas often develop and build in-depth as you discuss them with people. Carve out the time in your working week to run your thoughts by team members in the form of a video call. Encourage a healthy discussion and ask for their input and feedback – they may have a unique viewpoint that you have not yet considered.

4. USE YOUR COMMUTE TIME
Often when you were commuting to and from work, you thought about your day or a project that you were working on. You might have jotted notes on your phone about a new idea or sent an email to your personal account to remind yourself of an important action or next step. Try to re-create this headspace by using your commute time to think – consider going for a walk and dedicating an hour of your day to being creative.

5. TAKE TIME OFF
If you are in a position to take a day (or more) of annual leave, do it! Often our best ideas come to us when we least expect them. By taking some personal time to relax with family or friends and let the mind freely wander, you will feel rejuvenated and re-energised returning to work – and hopefully with a few new creative ideas.

Whether you are looking to get into that creative mindset or inspire your team members to think outside the box, keep the above tips in mind and implement them in your or your team’s working day. Most importantly, lead by example – when you focus on creativity and innovation, the people around you will feel motivated to do the same. And don’t forget to reward creativity with positive recognition.

To discuss how Coopman can support your hiring processes in the current market, please get in touch with Director and Co-Founder Mark Fallon at mark.fallon@coopman.ie