As the remote workforce begins to return to the office, employees are finding that they are missing the hobbies and distractions they used to fill in their days while working from home. Many began new hobbies, completed chores around the house, or ran short errands between meetings. To help employees make this transition, companies have started to plant corporate gardens. Although a newer concept, it is a designated place in or around the office that will grow fruits and vegetables instead of the standard snake plants and peace lilies.
Corporations have found significant benefits to instituting these types of gardens. They have many social, mental, and physical benefits. Here are the reasons your business should consider a corporate garden.
- Social Hub – A corporate garden will encourage employees to connect. For far too long, the workforce has been at home and separated from each other. Getting back to face-to-face interaction can be challenging. Creating a space where people can gather and have a common goal will help employees to reconnect.
- Physical Activity – This will counteract the negative effect of being sedentary. As little as 30 minutes of physical activity can help to reduce health risks such as diabetes, obesity, and some cancers. It is also noted that physical activity can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. Gardening is a great outlet to alleviate these potential issues and help to reduce health care costs for both the company and the employee alike.
- Team Building – When everyone is working together for a common goal, the morale of the team will improve. As management and employees work side by side, tensions can become less of a distraction and stress can be reduced for the team. This activity will promote social interaction, teamwork, and cooperation.
- Improve Company Image – A corporate garden is a great way to contribute to the community by donating the harvest to a local food bank or community center. This is a great way to become a sustainable company.
Now that your company is ready to start a corporate garden, where do you start?
- Talk it up to your employees and staff. Explain the benefits that gardening will bring to the corporate culture of the company. Allow employees to give input and take ownership of the garden, from what will be planted, where it will be, and what will be done with the harvest.
- The location of the garden needs to be carefully considered. A plot that has had years of chemical treatments may not be the ideal location. Other options may be container gardening or hydroponic tower gardens in an unoccupied room.
- Keep it practical and keep it fun. The idea of a corporate garden is to help divert employee’s attention from the everyday grind and alleviate stress. If the garden becomes too tedious or all the responsibility falls to just a few, the project will fail.
Overall, a corporate garden is a concept that will strengthen the employees, environment, community, and the company as a whole. Working together to find the best garden is ultimately the best team-building activity that can be done.
