An Efficient Workplace – Creative Tips to Avoid Blank Employee Stares

How would you react if someone questioned the efficiency of your workplace? Are you defensive? Do you laugh? Perhaps you stop and think? The fact is it’s not what you’re told that matters, but how you react (to what you’re told) that will make a dramatic difference and increase workplace and employee efficiency.

Now if someone told you that your lack of creativity within your workplace is killing your ability to improve overall efficiency, you might listen without laughing. Whether or not a workplace intends to hang creativity by a noose is in the hands of the decision maker, but ScheduleBase wants to give you a few surefire ways that will definitely tighten the knot if you don’t change your creativity thought process and analyze how it affects each and every employee in your workplace.

The new vs. current employee mismatch

One of the simplest ways a manager can kill creativity is by hiring the right employee for the wrong position in a respective workplace. A new employee needs to feel challenged or have personal abilities stretched, but the responsibilities the employee receives need to be within reach. Does your thought process as a manager include delegating quick deadline work to an employee who has been with you the longest, therefore is ideally most capable? Have you taken a look at a newer employee to see if initial roles can be expanded? Are you considering the strengths and weaknesses of all employees, both current and new? Communication breakdown between both employee and manager will occur if the requirements of the job are not at or above the skill capability of each respective employee, or expectations are not fully explained beforehand. Mismatches between new and current employees can twist the knife of creativity and leave your workplace in a mess.

Avoid locking your employee in a creative closet

A good manager will set goals. An even better employee will accomplish these goals. But, as a manager, do you loosen the reigns and give freedom to achieve these goals? If you really want to limit creativity with an employee, tighten your grip and restrict the ability to express ideas, test theories, or contribute with a creative point of view. If you choose to unlock the door of creative inspiration, a better plan for you as a manager would be to create an action plan, test the method through creative means, and measure the results. Don’t change the goals of an employee too frequently, or even worse, communicate to an employee that new methods and creative ideas are not welcome. Your employee will soon realize the key to the door is lost and creativity will be dead and gone.

Don’t limit your resources

Creativity requires time and money. Any employee will value your insight, leadership, and effort. Many managers, particularly those in small businesses, do not delegate responsibilities or find resources to better production and increase efficiency. One facet in a workplace that requires extreme creativity and a resourceful means is employee scheduling. You will drastically reduce or completely eliminate many hours of inputting names, numbers, and availability onto a piece of paper or into a spreadsheet by using an online employee scheduling program.

Managers tend to be obsessed with a physical employee schedule, thinking that it creates more control. The fact that an employee schedule is easily accessible via paper or an online spreadsheet is not an efficient means of employee scheduling. Take a moment to check your current schedule and count the number of eraser marks or revisions made. Every manager has at least a few. You will completely eliminate the need to make these changes by introducing online employee scheduling software to your workplace. Far more important is the need to improve efficiency, lower cost, increase your availability to employees, and improve communication efforts within your workplace. Managers and employees alike need adequate time and resources to generate creative ideas. By not taking advantage of resourceful business shortcuts, including an affordable online employee scheduling program, you will soon see creative abilities hang a huey.

Don’t look at a half-empty glass of employee creativity

Working in a place of business where criticism over constructive feedback is promoted is a definite means to failure. If you want to stop creativity dead in its tracks, then meet a new idea from an employee with endless evaluation and unpleasantry. It takes several attempts at creativity to implement an idea that will produce verifiable progress or results. To discourage one or two ideas and not instill an optimistic approach to further creativity is an inevitable road block. As a manager this should be obvious. By not encouraging your employee and only critiquing with a pessimistic point of view will produce an immediate halt on all creative employee and workplace inspiration.

Each of the above employee and workplace creativity no-nos reference how we deal with and manage employees. In extreme instances, an immediate decision can influence, or shape, the way a thought process of an employee will continue from that point forward. It will ultimately be very rewarding or painfully devastating to your management efforts as employee performance is directly affected. From the moment an employee sets foot in a new work environment, creativity is initiated. A stimulated work environment is one that delegates responsibilities accordingly, nourishes free flowing creative means, expands employee resources to improve productivity, and encourages an ongoing mindset of creative inspiration. If you take a look at the creative attitude of your workplace, you should be able to tell yourself how you would react if told you or your employees are not as efficient as possible.

About ScheduleBase 

ScheduleBase is online employee scheduling software from Atlas Business Solutions, the leader in providing employee scheduling software. For as little as $10/month, businesses can schedule employees online and communicate work schedules by email, text message and mobile device. Other Atlas Business Solutions scheduling software include ScheduleAnywhere, Visual Staff Scheduler Pro, and Customer Appointment Manager.