The Alternative UK Manifestos. 8: Phil Teer's Manifesto For Creative Working
Here's our eighth Alternative UK manifesto (all of them here) - from Phil Teer, advertising legend, recently of Brothers & Sisters, and advocate of the manifesto brand. Phil took on the challenge of selling Universal Basic Income for us a few months ago - this is a complement to that piece.
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Phil Teer: A Manifesto for Creative Working
The future of work is creative because everything non-creative will be automated. This is a manifesto for the creative worker.
Infantile work cultures are the enemy of creativity. Down with routine, rules, dress codes and NSFW. We are adults. Treat us like grown-ups but give us the space to think like children (because we were braver then).
Up with daydreaming and staring out the window; up with chance encounters and serendipity; up with trips to the coffeeshop and long walks to talk something through.
Up with sofas and places to snooze.
Up with Ping-Pong and pool because play is the best remedy for creative block.
Down with office politics, positioning and triangulating. It’s all about the work, stupid.
Down with living the brand. Make every day a bring-yourself-to-work day.
Down with yes-people and obligatory positivity. Come to work feeling brave, not scared.
Down with the forty-hour week and down with zero hours. Down with unpaid overtime and down with presenteeism. Work is what you do, not where you go. Offices are for getting together but not hanging around in. Creativity works where you are, when you feel it. Eureka moments happen in the bath.
Work the way you want to work and you will work better.
Down with only ever working for someone else. Everybody should work for themselves, at least some of the time.
Reject the idea that business is all “busy-ness”. Headless chickens go nowhere.
Reject the pursuit of profit at any cost. Profit is a by-product of a bigger purpose. Other by-products are laughter, confidence and personal growth.
Businesses should be part of society, not societal parasites.
If you want staff to give more then give them some ownership.
Creative businesses steal from culture, so put some culture back. Make some culture, support some culture or buy some culture.
If you hire people be smart enough to hire people smarter than you and you will always be growing.
Don’t be greedy, be imaginative.