October 13, 2003—Companies are damaging both productivity and creativity by sticking to structured hours and ignoring requests for more flexibility, says a new report.
That is the conclusion of a new survey carried out for the software company Corel. The results of the survey suggest that staff satisfaction can be boosted by allowing people to structure their own day, ensuring that they perform tasks when they feel most creative.
Just 16% of staff aged between 16 and 24 feel at their most creative in the morning. For this group, the later in the day, the more creative they feel. The pattern for 25 to 44 year-olds is more likely to be the reverse.
Corel’s Clare Shephard says the research highlights an important point: businesses need to adopt a flexible approach to get the most out of their people. “If you have a young, creative team then maybe brainstorming sessions in the evening would be more productive. Or maybe get a good mix of age groups so there are people being at their best throughout the whole day,” she suggested.
—Elliott Chase
Reprinted with permission; copyright 2003 i-FM
