Inspiration can come in the strangest of places and what’s inspiring to some is not for others. For me it’s not so much a particular place but more a surrounding of visual stimulus, lots of light, people who are in a positive state of mind and having flexibility.
Heaven & hell
One of the most important aspects for a company to recognise when it comes to taking care of their employees and fostering creativity is that everyone is different. A desk in the office may be the perfect place for some whereas for others it might be the opposite. The same goes for starting at 9am sharp. For some 7.30 might be preferable. For others there is not point to come in before 10am as they’ll be half asleep until then.
Most of the time I work splendidly at my desk but there are times when I get slightly claustrophobic and where I need to break away. It can be everything from needing some peace and quiet in order to really get my head around something to working from home one day when I feel yuk. Or, escaping constant interruptions in the office and go down to a cafe with a colleague to flesh something out. Make me sit at my desk in these situations and you will not get much out of me, but give me the option to go where I need to go and you will.
As much as we all differ, every day is also different and the more this can be recognised and reflected in the working environment, the greater the output and the happier employees you will get.
Fostering inspiration
In Sweden a new type of school has opened. They are called Vittra and look more like the office of a creative startup or an established company like Google. These schools don’t have any classrooms, or classes, and learning takes place, well everywhere.
The idea behind the school is to acknowledge and utilise how kids actually learn best and to encourage curiosity and creativity. That’s not necessarily best achieved by sitting behind a school bench but rather it’s in creating spaces that allows for both collaborative and independent learning. And the latter, learning, is with kids often ingrained in everything they do. Even peaking over the shoulder looking at what their friends are doing, so an environment for this to take place has been created.
What ever the type of inspiration is that your employees need to get, we should try to create a place that feels inspiring. If not in how it looks so at least in how it feels to work there.
Tomorrow – Day 035 | The people that matter
Image source: www.flickr.com/photos/billyrichards/6835423959
