Make Work Feel Like Play: Nature’s Role in Workplace Health

Is your workspace a sensory desert? Discover how nature can boost creativity! #NatureAtWork

Unexpected sensory stimulation is one of the key benefits of being outdoors. Our workspaces often are a bit like barren “human zoos,” offering the same, impoverished sensory experiences day-after-day. Meanwhile, the great outdoors is full of ever-changing, unpredictable stimuli. At PLASTARC, we talk a lot about incorporating surprise and delight in design. Interactive art, programs that encourage employees to move their bodies while in-office, and interior design inspired by nature are all ways of encouraging well-being at work.?

Research shows that simply providing views of the outdoors can enhance productivity and health, but being outdoors is even better! Just 29 minutes of outdoor-time each day may improve productivity by 45-percent, according to research. More flexible workdays and environments offered by distributed work make it easier for us to make space for outdoor time. But beyond spending personal time outdoors, being in nature with our coworkers may help us cohere as a team, think creatively, and come up with innovative solutions. Think back to your university days. Didn’t you love that professor who occasionally held class outdoors, under a sprawling tree? Approaching problems from a physically different point-of-view may help us think outside the box metaphorically, as well.?

When planning corporate retreats, think beyond hotel conference rooms and tired trust falls and rope courses. Why not go on a hike or even a camping trip with your colleagues? When you spend time with people in unfamiliar environments, you learn more about who they are and how they interact with the world. Recently, PLASTARC founder Melissa Marsh reconnected with a former classmate, Bart Foster, who has built a career out of facilitating unique, nature-based corporate experiences. Foster sees nature as a “silent partner” in resolving corporate challenges.?

In our April newsletter, we go over several methods for individually and collectively incorporating nature into our professional lives. Turns out, the health and productivity benefits of nature aren’t so hard to integrate into our daily routines.