Amelia works as a Performance Consultant for Stotan Group, a human performance consulting group that specialises in individual, team and organisational development. Amelia has a passion for employee wellbeing, and is responsible for implementing performance improvement initiatives that enhance and sustain the wellbeing of teams and individuals. Amelia is currently completing her Masters of Psychology (Organisational), and has chosen to conduct her research thesis on investigating the benefits of biophilic design (i.e. nature contact) in the workplace.
Growing up on a farm in country Victoria, I have always been drawn to nature. As a child, I spent a copious amount of time playing and exploring the outdoors. Once I moved to the city, I frequently found myself escaping to a nearby park, walking in freezing temperatures and gravitating to the outdoors. Without realising, nature became my escape to reduce my feelings of stress and to assist my productivity.
As a result, I made a straightforward decision to incorporate my two passions; nature and helping organisations be the best they can be, as my primary psychological research focus. My research focuses on the benefits of incorporating elements of biophilic design into the workplace, with a specific emphasis on prosocial and positive employee behaviour.
Biophilic design is aimed at providing building occupants with an increased connection to the natural environment. It incorporates features such as plants, natural ventilation, extensive natural lighting, views to the outdoors, water features and interior designs that mimic shapes and forms found in nature.
Over the past few decades, the amount of time that people spend in traditional office spaces has increased. Many employees facing high demands at work tend to skip scheduled work breaks and can often go an entire day without stepping outside. Therefore, the need to address health, productivity and wellbeing in workspaces has grown, and an abundance of research has begun focusing on incorporating elements of biophilic design into the built workplace.
The health benefits of nature have been known for centuries. However, more recently 'ecotherapy', which involves the use and discussion of one's relationship with nature as a healing process, has started to rise in popularity. Nature contact, or biophilic design, has been positively associated with benefits in a virtual environment (online immersions), an indoor environment (plants) and an outdoor environment (parks, vegetations, green spaces).
From a theoretical perspective, these benefits emerge due to restorative properties. Following an interaction with nature, individuals are likely to be less vulnerable to stress and mental fatigue and perform better on tasks that require direct-attention abilities. Office workplaces typically require extensive directed attention, which if not replenished, can cause mental fatigue. As such, research examining attention restorative theory has revealed that indoor plants provide cognitive benefits through enhancing concentration and productivity.
Although in a time where ‘employee trends’ are front and centre, it’s difficult to cut through the noise to truly identify what ‘employee engagement trends’ are truly worth your investment.
From my perspective, incorporating nature into the workplace feels like a common-sense solution.
The empirical research literature has identified a multitude of workplace benefits for incorporating elements of biophilic design, such as;
· Increased job satisfaction;
· Stress reduction;
· Improved health and fewer sickness-related absences;
· Enhanced employee wellbeing;
· Improved productivity and concentration;
· A reduction in symptoms of anxiety, and cognitive benefits; and
· Increased attentional capacity.
These benefits transpired from window views of nature; 40-second microbreaks of green roofs; indoor plants; natural light, and nature posters. As such, workplace contact with nature can be low cost, easily accessible and beneficial after both short immersions and longer durations.
The research literature has presented powerful evidence that many traditional design strategies that ignore incorporating nature can lead to negative impacts on health, job satisfaction and productivity, which directly translates to reduced profit margins. If you start by investing in indoor plants, window views of nature, natural light and natural air ventilation, studies have shown that your workplace will begin to reap the benefits.
For instance, research indicates that in a workplace, 10 % of employee absences can be attributed to architecture without a connection to nature.
To elaborate on the impact of nature, several research studies conducted on hospital patients resolved that patients who stay in sunny, daylit rooms with nature views have consistently shorter stays than those who stay in dull rooms with artificial lighting.
The research literature demonstrates that nature incorporation and elements of biophilic design can have a myriad of benefits that can be achieved in versatile, accessible and affordable means, in a multitude of capacities.
Thus, the evidence is there; our human instinct to be close to nature is there. So now, as humans, we must lean in, take the plunge and start investing in built environments that encourage a human-nature connection.