Staying Creative in Hybrid Work Environments

Are you a fan of working from home, or do you need the buzz of the office to stimulate your creative juices?

If you're like us, we do #hybridwork with half the time spent in the office with the other half in our pyjamas with our feet kicked up and, err, I mean sitting studiously at our home desk finishing tasks and being incredibly productive.

It's becoming the norm after two years of mainly working from home. 47% of employees surveyed said they'd look for a new job if their employers didn't offer some hybrid working options.

Employers see the benefits, as productivity hasn't slipped. However, it did require micromanagers to let go and learn to trust their people to do what's needed.

One question that often arises is how we stay creative when working in a hybrid environment.

Let's explore ways to make the hybrid working environment more accessible and productively creative.

Scheduling is Essential‍

There are times when people are out of sync. It's the worst when you decide to come to the office and feel the excitement of brainstorming with your mates, only to find out everyone else you thought today would be the best day to work from home.

Communicate with the people you want to connect with to align your schedules so you're there when they're there.

If your workmates are local, take advantage of your time out of the office and plan meetups in different parts of the city. It's away from home and away from the office, and the third place could spark some additional ideas with a new venue for sharing.

Forget the Punch Clock

Micromanagers cringe at the idea, and many demand that their people be online at their home office desks during regular business hours.

Creativity can arise at any time of day, even during off-the-clock hours. Leaders must be flexible with working hours and trust their people to deliver results.

Of course, there will be digital stand-ups and other meetings, but the rest of the time, let people find the times to create that work best for them.

Asynchronous Collaboration

The joy of an electric brainstorming session is exhilarating; ideas bounce back and forth, with each new idea adding to the last until you find the perfect A) logo, B)tagline, C) email copy, D) landing page, E) whatever.

Be honest. When was the last time you had a magical brainstorm?

Asynchronous collaboration allows everyone to gather and articulate their thoughts and ideas before sending them to the group.

This extra time allows for more thoughtful and considerate input into the creative process. Another benefit of asynchronous collaboration is that it prevents extroverted or prominent personalities from dominating the brainstorming sessions.

Like hybrid working, maintaining creativity by splitting time between the office, home, or your third place means being flexible. That flexibility applies to your leaders, too. They'll need to focus on results rather than attendance.

Open communications with your mates and managers to align your schedules and maintain clarity about meeting times and deadlines.

Merchant North is very flexible with our hybrid working situation. Still, we're seeing more people spend more time in the office lately, but that's because we like and enjoy being around each other.

We're looking to add several people to work flexibly in our Montreal office.

Check our open positions, send us your resume, and ANSWER THE CALL.

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