Cultivating Creativity and Motivation
in Your Business by Thinking Outside the Box
It would be very easy to assume in today’s economy that your options are limited when it comes to creating higher levels of motivation and engagement in your workplace. After all, many companies are cutting back on benefits, reducing hours and putting a freeze on any raises in compensation. In our recent articles, we’ve been discussing the most viable incentives for your employees and you may have been surprised to learn where the key motivators really are.
What if you could create an environment where the “magic” internal culture message is:
“The pay may not be incredible but the PERKS are awesome!”
There are some fun, out-of-the-box ways you can provide additional perks in your 
company simply by thinking creatively, and many of these can cost your company very little money but can pay off in big dividends by keeping appreciation, motivation and creativity at an all-time high in your business.
Moreover, by offering creative perks in your business, you are developing a new culture that inspires and motivates, while lowering levels of burnout and apathy.
Here are a few creative methods for “showing the love” for your employees that have been used in recent times by other businesses:
- Offering paid time for working out or participating in health programs.
- Arranging on-site pick-up and drop-off of employees’ dry cleaning or laundry.
- Serving healthy/organically grown snacks and meals at work and having them delivered straight to employees’ desks.
- Allowing employees to spend up to 10 percent of their time developing work-related projects or doing research they choose for themselves.
- Having a “cleaning rotation” where a professional cleaning crew is hired to clean up employees’ homes with a new employee receiving the service each month.
- Offering “family movie night” with tickets to movies and money for popcorn/snacks.
- Creating a policy of “decorative freedom” so employees can decorate their office or cubicle in whatever way they choose.
- Providing unpaid time off during the summer or other slower times to give your employees flexibility
- Offering gas cards or transit passes to ease the price of commuting
Remember, your employees are looking for reasons to feel appreciated and special and thinking outside the box is a great way to show them that you’ve really put some thought into what might be fun, useful and valuable for them.
Consider spending a day with your key executives and management to brainstorm the possibilities of what you could offer in your company. There are no “bad” ideas in a brainstorming session, just ideas for consideration. Let your thoughts run with the possibilities and see where it leads you.
The idea is that you’ll end up with some valuable and creative incentives that will “perk up” your benefits plan and develop a deeper culture of happier, more motivated and creative employees.