Yet, creativity is often at its best when tackled as a team affair with open discussions and idea sharing. Thus, as many leaders look to reinstate in-office working, Sarah Groves, Director and Co-Owner at Catalyst digital marketing agency, explores how to use the impetus of the Great Return to refuel your employees' creativity.

In today’s marketplace creativity is widely recognised as the backbone of any business. Done well, it can help companies to develop unique offerings and identify new opportunities. Creativity can also help businesses to adapt to evolving market conditions and new customer behaviours and build resilience during tough times.

Unfortunately, then, various studies suggest that creativity is on the descent. One major study by Microsoft which looked at data from more than 60,000 employees found that working from home reduces creativity, collaboration and teamwork. A separate report which saw researchers put 1,500 people into pairs over either a video call or in-person found the latter group to produce more creative ideas.

Of course, this shouldn’t come as a surprise to any business leader, particularly those involved in the creative sectors. Inherently, creativity is a team sport. Most great ideas happen when different minds come together, drawing on their different life experiences, memories, feelings and unique viewpoints to share and exchange ideas. While idea sharing and brainstorming can be done via virtual meetings, the risk is that taking it online kills much of the energy and enjoyment. To put it more scientifically, studies show that reduced face-to-face interaction reduces the production of oxytocin, the hormone we produce to build trusted relationships and drive pro-social behaviour. So remote-only teams that don’t meet up often if ever, are much more likely to struggle to form bonds and establish the type of close-knit working relationships that breed creativity.

At Catalyst, for example, even though we have continued to operate a hybrid working model since the tail-end of the pandemic, we tend to find that most of our employees prefer to come into the office anyway. This is because they find it to be more conducive to idea generation, brainstorming and the creativity essential to our agency.

As such, as more businesses gear up for 'the Great Return', there’s a big opportunity to use the transition to the physical office environment to refuel the creative gas tank. Here’s how:

A culture of collaboration

First up, it’s about ensuring you have the right culture in place. People need to feel safe sharing their ideas. This is especially important for employees returning to the office who may have grown unaccustomed to in-person brainstorming and sharing their ideas out loud and in person. Achieving this requires a culture of open-mindedness which respects different opinions and nurtures novel ways of thinking. When employees feel like they can be their true authentic selves and won’t be judged or criticised for bringing even the most ‘out there’ suggestion to the table, they are more likely to contribute.

Taking time for time outs

Yes, business-wide brainstorms and big open debates can be great when trying to come up with your next big idea or tackling a complex client brief. But that’s not to overlook the importance of individual focus. Some employees work better when they have had time to mull over a challenge, or even take a time out – even if it means reconvening at later stage. In this way, providing areas for quiet work can be vital to ensuring creative focus and success. From our experience, some of the best ideas happen when we take our eye of the mark and start focusing on something else entirely.

Do things differently

If the post-pandemic working world has taught us anything, it’s that productivity isn’t confined to working on the same patch of carpet 8 hours a day. Creativity is no different. That’s why it can pay to try out different methods of injecting the creative spark. How about a walking brainstorm? This is a particularly great technique for helping quieter team members come out of their shell in a more dynamic, less enclosed setting. Also, a change of scenery can be a great way to get the creative juices flowing too. Other suggestions include team days out, impromptu coffee catch ups, even a yoga class. We also recommend ‘creative pairs’ where team members who don’t usually work together are teamed up – it’s a great way of putting different mindsets together to come up with something new.

Celebrate success

Finally, it sounds obvious but celebrate success. This could be as simple as acknowledging a standout idea in a team meeting or providing incentives for those suggestions which make it to the drawing board or help secure the pitch. People want to be praised and recognised for their ideas. When creativity is rewarded it’s likely that your employees will be encouraged to go the extra mile in their creative thinking and feel like they are playing a vital role in the future trajectory of your business.

Creativity is the new king

It is often said that creativity is the new king. After all, while great quality content is vital to ensuring share of voice and standout in today’s digital world, partnering it with some killer creativity can be the masterstroke that really puts it on the map. Therefore, as employers shift towards increased in-office working, taking the time to reinstate the excitement, fun and enjoyment attached to the creative concept could make for a really great idea.