How going green can improve employee satisfaction

There’s been quite a bit of talk lately about how transforming your business practices and space to be more “green” or environmentally friendly can actually prove beneficial financially. A lot of green infrastructure and business practices cost a little more upfront, but they save you thousands—or tens of thousands—in the long run. They can also boost your business by increasing employee satisfaction.

Turns out, being nice to the environment is better for everybody.

Here are a few reasons why:

Green spaces such as rooftop gardens can greatly improve employee focus and happiness. There have been hundreds of studies performed on the effect nature has on the human mind. They’ve all found the same thing: regular exposure to nature helps decrease stress and increase happiness—both temporarily and in the long term. It’s why public parks are such an important part of cities.

If you have the option, installing a rooftop garden is a great way to provide your employees with the chance to rest and relax in nature during their break so they can return to work happier, more focused and more alert. Letting employees help work on the garden or choose some of the plants is also a great way to improve employee satisfaction.

Plants within the workplace are a great way for employees to rest their eyes. This is particularly helpful in an office space where most of your employees are staring at computers all day. Prolonged staring at a computer monitor causes eye strain, which is one of the reasons why it’s often recommended that employees be allowed to take shorter, more frequent breaks if they’re working long days on a computer.

Giving your employees something relaxing to look at can drastically increase employee satisfaction and productivity, especially if these plants are particularly interesting to look at. Oh, and they improve air quality in the workplace, making it easier for you and your employees to breathe.

Involving employees in environmental projects is a great way to build corporate culture. It’s often said that creating a positive and interesting corporate culture is the most important factor in employee satisfaction.

One great way to do this is by running environmental initiatives or getting your employees involved. You can run fundraisers, ask employees to volunteer during a park cleanup that’s already been organized, sponsor other environmental initiatives and even get employees to come up with their own. You can even make a competition of sorts where employees who find ways to make the company more green are rewarded.

Environmental issues are becoming more important to everyone all the time. If you want to increase employee satisfaction, a great way to start is by showing them that you care about the same issues they do and you’re willing to do something about it.

To learn more about how Flex Surveys can help customize your employee engagement survey questionnaire, please visit our website at Employee Attitude Surveys.

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