Across companies in America, many employees are pondering a question about work: Does what I do here matter?
That question is at the center of today’s workplace morale challenge.
Similarly, employee engagement has remained under pressure: Gallup’s 2026 State of the Global Workplace reports that global engagement fell to 20% in 2025, down from a 23% peak in 2022. Low engagement is not just a productivity issue; it is also a sign that workers feel disconnected from purpose, ownership, and a fulfilling corporate culture.
To dig deeper into whether what can boost morale in the workplace, Fast Company asked three workforce experts about the surprising solution that affects engagement, job satisfaction and even employee retention.
What’s Creativity Got to Do with It?
When employees are measured only by hours worked, completed tasks, or output, work can start to feel transactional. That’s where the importance of creativity takes center stage.
“Feeling like a cog in the corporate wheel is real, and it’s a real drain,” said Katie S. Lonze, assistant general counsel and HR Consultant at HR solutions company Engage PEO, who’s based in Chicago.
But engagement grows when employees believe their work adds value, connects to a larger purpose, and when they are trusted to make decisions and see their ideas influence outcomes. Encouraging creativity on the job, experts say, is one way of fostering that employee engagement.
“When people feel trusted, burnout drops and engagement rises,” she said. “Giving employees the freedom to be creative gives them a reason to care and a reason to be proud of their work. When employees can shape the work, ownership skyrockets.”
This means that organizations must “create opportunities for employees to stretch creatively and recognize their achievements,” says Serah Morrissey, the Minnesota-based senior director of People & Culture at Schoox, a talent development platform.
When it comes to learning and development initiatives, companies can try replacing checklist-style training with experiences that spark creative thinking: gamifying training sessions into competitions that reward creativity, for example.
Morrissey points to a boring, federally mandated safety training she was a part of that was turned into a ‘safety carnival’: “Each station had a game or activity to instruct the learners and then test their knowledge. Employees could actually demonstrate how to use a fire extinguisher, handle cleanup of a sharp object, or activate an eyewash station,” she says. “We retain experiences we enjoy.”
When workers are encouraged to think differently, suggest improvements, solve problems, or test new approaches, they feel more connected to the work and see themselves as valued contributors.
“Employers reap the benefits of new ideas: higher engagement and productivity they can directly correlate to increased creativity and employee satisfaction,” says Morrissey.
Establishing Room to Create
“Aside from industries that are inherently experimental and innovative, I see space being created in fields, like retail and hospitality, where businesses are competing for the same consumers,” Morrissey continues. “These organizations are finding incredibly creative ways to both understand customer data, and build loyalty and deeper connections in order to market their unique differentiators and stand out.”
In many work cultures, employees may default to one solution. But encouraging out-of-the-box thinking creates engagement and satisfaction in employees.
“During my more than 20 years in the hotel industry, I saw creativity unfold daily when my team members knew they were free to address guest issues without fear. Instead of, say, offering a discount or reward points, an empowered [team member] will actively listen for cues that provide a better way,” recalls Morrissey. “Maybe the solution is finding the guest’s favorite flowers, delivering their favorite meal or surprising them with a spa treatment.”
As AI becomes more common in the workplace, training employees effectively can spark creativity by helping them generate ideas and consider new perspectives.
Signs of a Creative Culture
Workplaces that get this right create the conditions employees need to contribute meaningfully: they make time for collaboration, protect space for engagement, and prompt people to share ideas without fear.
“Job seekers can spot these cultures by listening closely to how leaders talk about innovation, and by seeking candid feedback from current or former employees through professional networks or social media,” says Lonze.
If you’re seeking a collaborative, creative workplace, look beyond company websites to understand the real employee experience and how you might help shape the culture.
“I recommend asking for internal references so candidates can speak directly with someone working in the organization to better understand if creativity and innovation are valued and rewarded in a meaningful way,” suggests Morrissey.
You can even go a step further: Besides talking to a recruiter, HR or employees at the company during the interview process, she also recommends asking about the company’s turnover rate, and the reason behind why employees stay or leave.
“Be sure to ask what learning and development opportunities would be available to you in the role, and ask your interviewer about their favorite innovation or project from their time working at the organization,” says Stephen Dwyer, president and CEO at the American Staffing Association in Alexandria, Virginia. “Their answer can give you important insight into the company culture.”
“Companies that invest in skills development are more likely to support creativity in the workplace.”
Creativity is Just Part of the Solution
Creativity alone will not solve the morale crisis.
A 2022 study in Business Horizons cited that if employees are burned out, detached, unheard, or underappreciated, asking them to “be creative” may add pressure.
But, according to the American Psychological Association, when supported by trust, flexibility, learning and an employee-centric culture, creativity can help employees feel more engaged, valued and connected to a larger purpose.
“Creativity engages different parts of the brain,” Morrissey says.
“We as humans feel more fulfilled when our work creates opportunities for a more holistic use of skills—and more of our capabilities.”
