Creating work spaces that promote health is an increasing priority for corporations struggling to attract talent, prevent burnout and absenteeism, and improve productivity in their workforce—and there is a wave of research that can help them turn the tide.

Contact with nature remains one of the most under-utilized tools for improving the health and wellbeing of people and the organizations they work for. Mounting studies show that exposure to nature during work hours reduces stress and improves cognitive performance. One such study from 2022 presents novel evidence that employees who participated in nature-based activities twice a week for three weeks showed improved cognitive performance and attention, lower reported stress levels, and lower salivary cortisol levels—a common biomarker for stress.

If offering nature-based activities outside the office is a barrier for employees or employers, there are other ways to increase exposure to nature indoors.

Biophilic design, which integrates nature into the built environment to enhance well-being, has been increasingly studied as an occupational health resource that can supercharge productivity and reduce stress. In corporate settings, biophillic design aims to harness space, natural light, plants, and landscaping to create better working environments for employees.

Design elements include plant walls and roof gardens, but it can also include the use of materials, patterns, sounds and textures found in nature.

Robust randomized controlled trials show that even short exposure to a biophilic indoor environment can lower blood pressure, improve memory, and decrease negative emotions while increasing positive emotions. Exposure to natural light alone has been shown to improve sleep, work satisfaction and performance.

These outcomes are the result of human nature. As we experience the world around us through our senses, it triggers hormonal and neurological responses. This affects our performance, and levels of happiness. Periods of concentration require a commensurate period of lighter brain activity to restore balance to our ultradian rhythm, or the biological cycle that regulates hormone levels, brain activity, and energy levels. Environmental and biophilic factors help create this balance.

Designing a building from scratch using biophillic design principles, while a worthwhile endeavor, is not an option for many. However, there are still simpler, more accessible ways to bring biophilic design into the workplace. Here a five quick and easy wins to get you started:

Bring the outside in

Creating direct contact with nature—whether through large windows, rooftop gardens, or compact yards—is a foundational step in biophilic retrofitting. Adding elements like skylights can increase natural light indoors, which is essential for regulating serotonin, a key neurotransmitter that influences mood. Insufficient exposure to sunlight can lower serotonin levels, a factor which medical experts have linked to symptoms of depression. Moreover, a lack of sunlight can disturb the body’s natural circadian rhythm, often resulting in poor sleep quality.

Introduce greenery

Can indoor plants really make a difference for workers? According to an overview by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), there are three types of benefits demonstrated in the research:

Improved mental well-being, i.e. boosts in mood and reductions in stress levels
Sharper cognition and focus, i.e. increased productivity, increased speed of reaction in a computer task, and improved attention span
Positive impacts on physical health, i.e. reduced blood pressure, less fatigue, and fewer headaches

What types of plants should you introduce to your workspace? The RHS says look for those that can tolerate indoor environments factors, such as shade and fluctuating temperatures. Ficus plants, for example, have attractive leaves and are considered easy to care for—as long as they have some time in a sunny window each day.

Try gardening

If there’s enough outdoor space at your place of work, it’s possible to reap the many mental health benefits of gardening. Research conducted in 2019 reported psychological benefits of gardening that included anxiety and stress reduction, decreased depression, enhanced memory retention, improved happiness and life satisfaction, and increased creativity, productivity and attention.

There are a few gardening practices to keep in mind: If there’s a little budget, building raised beds is a good entry point. Raised beds make gardening more comfortable because there is better access for tasks like weeding and harvesting, but it also results in greater productivity—something everyone wants at work. That’s because raised beds offer improved soil drainage, warmer soil temperatures, and reduced soil compaction. Leafy greens like lettuce and spinach, root vegetables such as carrots and radishes, and fruiting plants like tomatoes and peppers all thrive in raised beds.

Flowers can also be grown in raised beds, with all the same benefits. Potted flowers can also brighten up outdoor spaces if space is an issue.

Paint with shades of green
Using soothing colors that mimic those found in nature has been shown in many studies to promote well-being. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was the first scientist to correlate colors to specific emotional responses in his 1810 book Theory of Colours. He found the color yellow could induce positive feelings, while the color green could alleviate stress and enhance calm feelings. Further research has corroborated the link between color and psychological response.

It’s important to keep in mind the results of a 2021 color study, which found that nationality played a role in color preference. University students from Egypt and Japan were exposed to different colors for two minutes each and then were tested and interviewed. Green and green-white plants caused Japanese participants to report feelings of comfort and relaxation—with physiological advantages to match this self-reporting. However, for Egyptian participants, it was light green and green-yellow plants that had this advantageous effect.

Personalizing is always best when it comes to relaxation measures, but the research indicates that it’s hard to go wrong with shades of green.

Configure low-stress environments

Creating break-out rooms or “contemplation” spaces can help employees take time out to relax and gather their thoughts. There is even research to guide how these spaces should be designed. A theory developed by Jay Appleton called the Prospect-Refuge Theory posits that people prefer spaces where they can observe their surroundings (prospect) while also having a sense of enclosure (refuge).

Several studies corroborate that environments with high levels of prospect and low levels of refuge are more restorative. Open terraces, high-backed chairs, covered walkways, quiet corners, or semi-enclosed booths are just some of the ways that prospect-refuge can be applied in work settings. Finding spaces in which to pause and regroup during the day is a vital aid to productivity, and ensuring employees have time to take advantage of them can be part of a broader company commitment to employee well-being.

With prioritization, nature can be established in the workplace by introducing greenery, looking for the right tones, creating access to nature and creating spaces that help employees pause and reflect. The science is clear: These moves will result in a happier, healthier, and more productive workforce.

Sources

The Employee Experience, https://view.com/sites/default/files/documents/Future-Workplace-The-Employee-Experience.pdf

[The history of color theories], https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3283427/

Foliage colors improve relaxation and emotional status of university students from different countries, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7855717/

Houseplants: to support human health, https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/types/houseplants/for-human-health

Introducing nature at the work floor: A nature-based intervention to reduce stress and improve cognitive performance, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1438463921001991

Overview - Seasonal Affective Disorder, https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder-sad/overview/

Physiological and cognitive performance of exposure to biophilic indoor environment, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0360132318300064

Rare orchids and bees are thriving on London’s green rooftops as city eyes up cooling solutions, https://www.euronews.com/green/2024/08/05/rare-orchids-and-bees-are-thriving-on-londons-green-rooftops-as-city-eyes-up-cooling-solut

An Update of the Literature Supporting the Well-Being Bene¢ts of Plants: A Review of the Emotional and Mental Health Benefits of Plants, https://ellisonchair.tamu.edu/files/2019/07/An-Update-of-the-Literature-Supporting-the-Well-Being-Benefits-of-Plants-A-Review-of-the-Emotional-and-Mental-Health-Benefits-of-Plants.pdf

When walking in nature is not restorative—The role of prospect and refuge, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1353829213000038

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