It is an almost universal refrain

when I tell someone that I am a “Technical Writer for a Software Company.”

“Oh, so not exactly exciting work, huh?”

“That would bore me to tears.”

“I couldn’t stand that kind of mundane work.”

To which I roll my eyes with boredom. Come up with something better, people. Do you really think I voluntarily spend my days sweeping cobwebs from my brain? Do you think it is fair game to insult my vocation simply because you are not bright enough to comprehend what I do?

Apparently, yes.

I’ll correct the record. What I do, while at times highly technical, is also quite creative and enjoyable. And highly technical does not cancel out creative and enjoyable, by the way. I spend my days problem solving and inventing solutions to problems that make users’ lives easier, that attack pain points and smooth out issues. It’s pretty cool.

But I get it. If you are not the sort of person who smiles when reading about coding syntax, then working in software documentation seems drab. (The funny thing is, a technical writer is a veritable savior when you can’t figure out how to install your new printer or why the WiFi isn’t working, amirite?)

The truth is, many of us could benefit from greater creativity in the workplace, not just those of us in technical fields. Most of us thrive if given some measure of creativity, even those who do not define themselves as ‘creatives.’ (Just for the record, I do, in fact, label myself as a creative person, and find outlets for just those tendencies both at work and in my personal life. I recommend it!)

Companies who hope to get the most innovative ideas from their workforce are wise to consider ways to encourage creative productivity in the office. I’ve got a few ideas I’d like to share. We use these on my team, and if you try some (or all – go for it) let me know what works, and add a few more to the tab.

1. Support risk-taking. Cultivate a culture where risk-taking is just fine. I’m not talking about dangerous risks, but rather innovation risks. Try out a new project, allow for innovation time. At my company, we have periodic “innovation sprints” and “hackathons” to encourage new ideas and projects. Some of the fruit of these sessions have proven wildly successful, and some…have not. The best part is that both results are okay.
2. Offer flexibility in how to do the work. A really cool thing is when you let your workforce test out ways to do things. While Sharon might do everything by the book and find that to be a super-effective way to get to the finish line, Roger might discover a nifty way to hack that project and the next thing you know, not following protocol will become the new protocol because Roger can show that the new way is a great way. Part of this can be offering a better work-life balance, like maybe Roger really can work better at 5AM than 9AM, and he is super productive then, so in-office time is not a priority, or perhaps Roger is really great at coming up with ideas that he jots down in a notebook first, even though typical company policy is to use only email. Get Roger an Evernote smart notebook, and you are on your way to big ideas!
3. Think about communal space for idea sharing, even if it is offsite. Recently, my team of tech writers and I learned that our local coffee shop was hosting a 3PM “happy hour” and we decided to take a team meeting at that shop. Best. Idea. Ever. We met for an hour over hot java and solved some documentation issues that we’d not been able to solve at our own desks just by moving our thinking to a new location for an hour. And as a bonus, we all had some delicious coffee and a location break! It isn’t always necessary to move spots, and this time the company didn’t even pay for our meeting. We just had to jog our brains a little bit.
4. Have fun. It is difficult sometimes to forge a genuine camaraderie, but it is also necessary. Break down silos and make an effort to not just be colleagues, but to be collegial. Creating a convivial mood by generating laughter, enjoying the office, and promoting a fun space generates creativity. Spin up a slack channel where everyone can post pictures of their pets, and pets only. If someone on the team doesn’t have a pet, find a workaround, like an animated pet – (come on, this is a creativity post!) Let inspiration flow freely in channels of communication.
5. Focus on moving the ball forward in a way that everyone will succeed. Look, I work in technical communication and still the thing I want most is to be successful while I enjoy my work. Understanding that success might not always be money, but might be getting out of the office to enjoy sunshine at lunch time, or it might be the trust to work on a new project, or it might be an office space with better light – any of these are indeed ways to foster my creativity and make my workplace more enjoyable and my work product higher-level.

What’s the upshot of that for my company?

Happier customers, greater return on that investment, better work and for them – a bigger bottom line.

I don’t try very hard to correct people who think my job is boring and don’t understand it. I merely tell them, “Actually, technical writing is pretty cool. Your debit card works because I understand the code behind it and write the installation manual, so I bet you are pretty glad I do my job, right?”

They typically shrug and laugh, which is good enough for me. Little do they know, I have a lot of fun thinking of synonyms for a good part of the day, I create animated installation videos, I write VUI, and I spend a good deal of time daydreaming about the best, most innovative ways to make life easy. All because creativity in the workplace is important to me – so let me know if you can make it important in your tech writing space, too.