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Forming part of the Nature and Business Resources Kit, this module explores the impact of nature on your employees and the link with health, wellbeing and productivity

Many businesses across our region have signed up for the West of England Good Employment Charter, which has a range of resources for businesses to recruit, motivate and support their employees, including new resources for supporting employees in nature.

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How can nature help you get the most from your employees?

The evidence is clear that spending time in nature is good for our mental and physical health, and there is also emerging evidence that time in nature is good for productivity.

This research helps businesses to encourage their employees to spend time in nature as part of their roles, and many are already seeing the benefit. This could involve, for example, working with a local nature charity to take part in a structured wellbeing or volunteering session. While there will be a cost for this (to cover staff time, materials and preparation), this may be covered by a third-party funder.

Setup an initiative to connect your staff with nature

Businesses can set up their own initiatives and action for nature as part of Avon Wildlife Trust’s Team Wilder. There are a number of free resources online to support employees to work together to create and deliver a programme, which may not require any spend at all.

At present there are only a small number of Employee Assistance programmes that have structured recognition for time in nature. Speak to your insurer to see if you can build recognition into your benefits package.

Consider access

It’s important to consult with employees when holding meetings outdoors, or setting up employee sessions in nature, as this may create accessibility challenges. Some people may prefer to take a lead on developing sustainable sourcing policies or decision making processes.

Provide training to improve recruitment and retention

A number of new green and blue skills are emerging with changes to environmental legislation, increased pressures on biodiversity and changes in the workplace. In-house and external training and learning programmes can support recruitment and retention into new and developing roles that support nature.