Want to boost recruitment and retention? Make sure you offer your employees a fun, supportive and highly creative work environment.
Many creative professionals are right-brainers who see the world a little differently than others, and they often invest themselves emotionally in their jobs. So, their work environment needs to be an engaging one that allows them to stretch their skills, find inspiration, and do their best work throughout the entire project life cycle.
What does the ideal creative work environment look like? As you probably guessed, there's not one right answer. But if you toured the offices of some of the most successful creative agencies and in-house teams, you'd likely notice some commonalities.
What might those commonalities be, and how can you use them to establish a space and culture that fuels employee fulfillment and innovation? Consider the following seven elements of a highly creative work environment.
For creatives, the ideal workplace …
1. Celebrates people and their work
The greatest driver of happiness for creative and marketing professionals is doing worthwhile work, according to research published in The Secrets of the Happiest Companies and Employees, a guide from our company that you can use to increase satisfaction levels in your office. The second most important factor for creatives is feeling appreciated for their work.
Be sure your staff feels valued, and regularly remind individual employees about how essential their contributions are to helping the team achieve its big-picture goals.
A supportive work environment is also one where success is lauded. For instance, does your office have a "brag board" where people can post projects they're proud of? Are employees recognized for going above and beyond? Do you encourage team outings to celebrate a big completed job? These are low-cost, easy-to-implement approaches you can adopt immediately.
2. Reflects employees' interests
Creative staffers often come from different backgrounds, possess a wide range of skills and pursue a variety of activities outside work. Whether you allow employees to bring their dogs to the office, tackle individual or team-focused side projects, or express their personal fashion style, the ideal work environment celebrates this diversity and lets creatives be themselves and feel at home.
