The Science and Strategies Behind Engage & Bloom
Harnessing nature for workplace wellness and engagement
This resource explores the science and strategies behind Planteria Group’s Engage & Bloom workplace experience programme. It will show how the programme provides employees, organisations and facilities managers with several key benefits from both a commercial and wellbeing standpoint.
Key theories and frameworks are identified, demonstrating the scientific and strategic theory that underpins the Engage & Bloom programme.
An Introduction to Engage & Bloom
Engage & Bloom is a science-backed employee experience
programme that is centred on the principles of biophilia and its scientifically
proven benefits in terms of productivity and wellbeing. Such benefits are
achieved through harnessing the power of nature to create inspirational spaces.
The Engage & Bloom programme teaches clients how to look
after their plants at home, as well as inspiring them in the world of planting
and nature through a range of engaging experiences, including workshops,
interactive QR codes, and educational pieces.
The Modern Workplace Challenge
The modern workplace presents numerous challenges to ensure employees are working at an optimal level that benefits both the individual and the wider organisation. Since 1950, research suggests that we have gradually become more disconnected from nature and the benefits it provides.
A 2023 study by the UK Government identified that people spend 80-90% of their time indoors. To make matters worse research suggests that on average an office worker spends 12 hours per day looking at a screen.
Offices commonly experience a disconnect from nature, due to urban environments and sterile interior settings, as well as the growing importance of technology that has often acted as a substitute for nature as a source of recreation and entertainment.
Increasing Importance of Well-being and Engagement for Productivity
Engage & Bloom is based on the concept of biophilia, which refers to a human being’s innate desire to connect with nature. This is further reinforced by numerous scientific findings, notably an experiment conducted by the Chelsea Flower Show.
This experiment invited participants to take part in a study that measured their creativity, happiness, and productivity across a variety of different workplace designs. The results found that allowing staff to make design decisions in a workspace enhanced with office plants can:
· Increase well-being by 47%
· Increase creativity by 45%
· Increase productivity by 38%
These findings highlight the significant benefits that simply being around plants can have on employees. However, the interactivity of the Engage & Bloom programme enables organisations and their employees to harness these benefits to an even more powerful extent.
The Innate Human Connection to Nature: Biophilia
Biophilia is described as ‘an innate love for the natural world, supposed to be felt universally by humankind.’ The biophilia hypothesis is based upon the belief that humans have an inbuilt tendency to seek connection with nature and other forms of life.
In fact, the word biophilia is a combination of two ancient Greek words: bio (meaning life) and philia (meaning love). The term was first used by German social psychologist Erich Fromm, who claimed that biophilia manifests as the ‘wish to further growth, whether in a person, plant, idea, or social group.’
The growing awareness and popularity of biophilic design is indicated in the below graph, which demonstrates how the word biophilia, along with related keywords, has seen a significant spike in how frequently it is mentioned in publications, particularly from 2008 onwards.
Engage & Bloom is a solution that combines both science and strategy through engaging workplace activities. As well as improving productivity and wellbeing, Engage & Bloom also promotes teamwork and fosters connections with nature and one another.
The Engage & Bloom programme applies Fromm’s concept of growth in terms of people, plants, and social groups by giving individuals the opportunity to enjoy a shared experience that connects them with plants and nature both on an individual and group level.
The Science of Wellness in the Workplace
Workplace wellbeing encompasses how employees feel at work and about work, with a focus on developing and displaying healthy behaviours.
More specifically, it can include some of the following elements:
- A positive working environment
- Job satisfaction and purposefulness
- Good leadership and management
- Pay and reward
- Personal development
- Physical and mental health
Impact of Stress, Poor Air Quality and Sterile Environments on Staff
Factors such as stress, poor air quality, and sterile environments can all have a negative impact on workplace wellbeing. Poor workplace mental health has been estimated to cost UK businesses an incredible £45bn each year. Furthermore, Lumien data reveals how wellbeing impacts employees 27% of the time, and as a result, companies are losing 17% productivity.
Annually, this equates to £5,318.45 per employee, representing a significant organisational cost that could be mitigated through the implementation of wellbeing-focused initiatives.
Scientific Evidence Supporting Biophilia
Taking an evidence-based approach to workplace wellbeing allows employers to understand their employees wants and needs, along with areas of improvement.
According to the Mental Health Foundation, 45% of people reported that visiting green spaces helped them to cope. Likewise, Harvard research finds that spending 20 to 30 minutes in an outdoor setting where people feel they are interacting with nature can lower stress hormone levels.
Cognitive and Productivity Benefits of Greenery in Offices
The concept of biophilia is supported by various studies and frameworks, including Kaplan’s Attention Restoration Theory which found that exposure to nature reduces mental fatigue, as well as helping improve focus and our ability to concentrate.
Likewise, Ulrech’s 1981 Stress Reduction Theory claims that natural environments promote recovery from stress, while urban environments tend to hinder it.
The Psychological Basis of Nature Engagement
According to the National Library of Medicine, individuals have less mental distress, less anxiety and depression, greater wellbeing and healthier cortisol profiles when living in areas with more greenspace.
This is reinforced by NHS research, which found that people who spend at least two hours a week in nature experience better health and higher psychological wellbeing than those who do not visit nature at all during an average week.
Sensory Benefits of Plant Interaction
Sensory planting encourages an increasingly engaging and
meaningful experience with plants, stimulating senses, including smell, sound,
touch, and sight.
According to the RHS, selecting plants that are particularly
good for your senses can improve mood and general wellbeing.
Examples of plants with sensory benefits include:
· Fragrant flowers, such as lavender, jasmine, and rose
· Herbs, including mint, basil, and rosemary
· Plants with a particularly textural appearance include lamb’s ear, ferns, and ornamental grasses.
· Vibrantly coloured plants that satisfy the visual sense
· Edible plants such as strawberry plants
Employee Engagement: Why it Matters
In their 2023 State of the Global Workplace Report, analytics and advisory firm Gallup found that nearly 6 in 10 employees are feeling disengaged at work. Traits of disengaged employees can include demotivation, missed deadlines, disinterest in team activities, and avoidance in taking initiative.
Such behaviours have also been described by the term ‘quiet quitting,’ whereby a disengaged employee only fulfils the bare minimum of their duties.
The Impact of Disengagement
Employee disengagement can result in several issues, both for an individual’s wellbeing and the organisation. Decreased productivity is a key risk of disengaged employees, along with high absenteeism and turnover rates and the subsequent recruitment and training costs.
The 2023 State of the Global Workplace report found that disengaged employees are estimated to cost the global economy $8.8 trillion dollars, which represents 9% of global GDP. As well as the financial implications, employee disengagement also results in an adverse impact on team morale, which may cause an overall reduction in workplace productivity and innovation due to an unfavourable working environment.
The Role of Nature in Engagement
Biophilic design can be classified into six key principles illustrated below:
The last two principles provide a clear insight into how biophilic design can foster a sense of purpose and belonging. Place-based relationships refer to the link between culture and ecology. This is based upon a human’s sense of connection with familiar surroundings and feelings of protection or stewardship towards such places, known as Place Attachment Theory.
A study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology investigated the connection between green buildings and place attachment. It found that biophilic design and opportunities for connection to nature were amongst the most important aspects for supporting Place Attachment Theory and can enhance individual wellbeing, quality of life, as well as increase pro-environmental behaviours and community resilience.
When coupled with the attachment to nature and health and wellbeing benefits that biophilic design provides, it is clear to see the powerful impact that spaces with a strong biophilic element can have on an individual’s sense of belonging within that space.
How Interactive Experiences with Plants Create Meaningful Connections
Direct contact with vegetation represents one of the most successful ways of promoting human connection in design. Dr. Stephen Kellert claims that human evolution and survival require the management of natural environments, particularly with regards to sensory elements. Moreover, DelSesto highlights the variety of often overlooked ways that we interact with plants in daily life.
From clothing to writing materials, plants are used to produce essential daily items. What’s more, the exchange of plants as a mark of celebration or condolence highlights their powerful role in landmark events in our lives.
DelSesto’s below spectrum categorises people-plant interactions into key groupings: physical exertion, tactile immersion, and peaceful abiding. Different aspects can align particularly strongly with some of the identified benefits of biophilia. For example, interactions classified under the ‘peaceful abiding’ grouping are likely to be closely aligned to the benefits of stress reduction, while those classed as ‘tactile immersion’ may be particularly effective at boosting engagement and concentration.
Strategies Behind Engage & Bloom: Tailored Solutions for Every Workplace
Engage & Bloom comprises three modular packages, allowing tailored solutions for every workplace. In addition to an informative biophilic webinar, employees can dial in live and speak to our ‘Plant Doctor’ who will advise on care and maintenance of specific plants.
Furthermore, there is the opportunity to identify and learn about plant species simply by scanning a plant’s QR code, which brings up the relevant page of the Plantopedia. Silver and gold packages also include interactive and engaging biophilic-based workshops, which can encompass activities such as wreath making, floristry, and orchid arrangement.
Flexible Solutions to Suit Workplace Needs
Engage & Bloom is focused on creating tailored solutions for every workplace. The flexibility of several key offerings within the programme allows employers to implement activities in accordance with their workplace’s needs and schedules.
Plant giveaways, biophilic webinars, and workshops can be scheduled at a convenient time and location for the business, whether it is on-site or at a separate location as part of an out-of-office event.
Engagement Through Experience
According to Michigan State University, there are many activities workplaces can implement to improve group cohesion and build trust.
Such activities often give employees the chance to interact with colleagues in a different way and reveal different aspects of their personalities that may not come out during normal work interactions.
Other advantages of team building include:
- Boosting employee engagement
- Encouraging communication
- Mitigating conflict
- Increasing collaboration
Engage & Bloom workshops provide an opportunity for employees to experience these benefits, whether working directly together or enjoying a shared experience alongside each other to produce wreaths, orchid displays, and floristry bouquets.
As noted by McKinsey & Company, being amongst nature helps with attention span, creativity, well-being, and happiness and should act as a foundational resource for both individual and team development.
How Interactive Learning Builds Deeper Connection
Referring to DelSesto’s spectrum of people-plant interactions, the different activities within the Engage & Bloom programme can be classified within this framework. Floristry bouquets, moss art, orchid and wreath making workshops are categorised under the ‘tactile immersion’ category due to employees’ physical interaction with plant materials.
Other aspects of the Engage & Bloom programme, such as plant giveaways, dial-in plant clinics, and identifying plant species using a QR code and Plantopedia are categorised under the ‘peaceful abiding’ category, due to their focus on sensory engagement with plant environments and representations of plant environments. Such interactive and informative activities can promote deeper connections within the workplace.
The social element of a shared workplace activity can help employees to feel connected to one another and the activity. According to Times Higher Education, feeling connected to what is being learnt and the people one is learning alongside is what underpins engagement. They go on to state that feeling socially connected enhances an individual’s sense of belonging, which is essential to maintain motivation and feelings of safety and comfort.
Employee Satisfaction Surveys
Employee satisfaction following increased interaction with biophilia can be measured in several ways. Heightened creativity may be evident in subsequent projects and brainstorming sessions, while reported increases in productivity can also be observed.
Organisations may find that outlined objectives are being reached increasingly quickly and projects are completed ahead of schedule. In terms of wellbeing, employers may observe a positive change in the overall mood and atmosphere within the workplace
Client Success Stories
Recently, we brought the Engage & Bloom program to a leading social media platform’s London office. Employees fully embraced the experience, from learning about plant care to taking home their own plant, the event left lasting impressions and fostered stronger connections with nature in the workplace.
The client shared the following feedback after the event: “I’m so happy that you shared some beautiful pictures with me today. The plants look amazing, and I was extremely happy to see the engagement with our members; they looked happy. Well done to the Planteria team!”.
Case Studies
Engage & Bloom activities have been successfully implemented in a diverse range of workplaces and industries.
Wreath making makes a particularly popular seasonal workshop that can be adapted to the season, whether it is over the festive period, autumn, or spring. As such, materials can also be adapted to suit the season, theme, and even the organisation’s brand colours, creating a truly personalised experience for each individual workplace.
Quantifiable Benefits for Staff Engagement and Wellness
Awareness and application of biophilia within the workplace, through biophilic design elements in the office and Engage & Bloom engagement activities can be quantifiably measured using numerous metrics.
The outlined body of scientific research strongly suggests that organisations would see a reduction in absenteeism and the number of cases of reported stress and wellbeing-related issues when biophilic design and activities are regularly implemented within the workplace.
Implementing Engage & Bloom
According to the KPMG 2024 CEO Outlook Report, the majority of UK CEOs expect companies to shift towards a full return to office work within the next three years. As such, it is important for facilities professionals to look at ways to create calming and inviting workplaces.
The implementation of biophilic design principles is a key way to achieve this and demonstrate the facilities manager’s commitment to wellbeing and engagement. Introducing new and innovative biophilic initiatives can help facilities managers to further strengthen their client relationships and demonstrate proactive awareness of scientific and strategically backed initiatives that benefit their clients.
Preparing for an Engage & Bloom Rollout
The Engage & Bloom team will contact you to book in your events on a date that is convenient to your team. They will talk through the options with you and help you choose the best event type to suit your team, goals and/or the time of year.
For example, the wreath building workshop is most popular in Quarter 4 – as staff get to take home their own handcrafted wreath ready to decorate their home for Christmas.The Engage & Bloom team will identify what sort of space they need to hold the workshop or activities.
We recommend sending out company-wide communications for the larger events or specific invitations to the workshops. Allow staff enough time to ensure they are in the office on the specific days. The anticipation of a fun and engaging event can be a engagement piece in itself – reminding them that the company is committed to their wellbeing and have them looking forward to the event.
Partnership with Planteria Group
Planteria Group is committed to delivering tailored solutions for each individual workplace. With three packages available, employers can choose the one that is best aligned to their budgetary and organisational needs, with each package consisting of several Engage & Bloom initiatives. Silver and Gold packages also let organisations choose between 2-4 yearly workshops, with the opportunity to pick from several different workshop options and tailor them to suit their organisation’s needs.
Conclusion
Engage & Bloom is rooted in a scientific foundation. It’s based upon the key principles identified in Kaplan’s Attention Restoration Theory regarding nature exposure reducing mental fatigue. It is also based on Ulrech’s 1981 Stress Reduction Theory and its belief that natural environments promote recovery from stress.
Engage & Bloom harnesses the power of nature in the form of interactive initiatives that improve cohesion, build trust, and encourage enhanced team relationships.
As highlighted, the implementation of an Engage & Bloom workplace experience programme provides several key benefits, both in terms of individual employee wellbeing, productivity, and creativity. Additionally, there are a multitude of wider organisational benefits, including reduced absenteeism, labour turnover, and heightened team morale.
Discover tailored solutions that provide organisational, individual, and team benefits. Let us help you transform your workplace today.
About Planteria Group
Planteria is the UK’s leading office plant company, operating as an independent, family-run business of experts for more than 40 years and maintaining over 90,000 plant displays nationwide. We are committed to creating best-in-class biophilic design and have worked on some of the UK’s most prestigious projects.
You’ll find our work in offices, showrooms, and public buildings across the UK. Our Services: Design, installation and maintenance of planting for workplaces. Interior and exterior biophilic design, living walls and moss walls. We also offer corporate floristry and seasonal decorations, including orchids, Christmas trees and more workplace experience services via our Engage & Bloom Programme.
Contact Information
ENGAGE & BLOOM TEAM
T: 0345 505 3333
E: engageandbloom@planteriagroup.com
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