The Benefits of Nature Contact at Work and Home on Well-Being: A Path to Healthier and More Satisfied Employees

Abstract

The workplace is a critical environment for harnessing nature’s benefits, as organizations directly shape the extent to which employees engage with nature, both at work and at home. Data from two studies (Study 1 N = 545; Study 2 N = 380) were used to test whether nature contact is associated with employee personal well-being (i.e., physical health and mental health) and job well-being (i.e., job burnout, job satisfaction, satisfaction with the physical workspace, and turnover intentions) and whether these associations are stronger for employees with a greater personal connection to nature (i.e., nature relatedness). In both studies, outdoor nature contact at work and at home (e.g., spending breaks outside, eating meals outside) was associated with greater physical health and mental health. In Study 2, indoor nature contact at work (e.g., live plants, sunlight) was associated with greater physical health, mental health, job satisfaction, satisfaction with the physical workspace, and lower job burnout and turnover intentions. Indirect nature contact at work (e.g., nature in artwork) was associated with greater physical health, job satisfaction, and satisfaction with the physical workspace. Nature relatedness was positively correlated with nature contact and employee well-being but generally did not operate as a moderator that strengthened the associations between nature contact and well-being. The results were consistent even after accounting for control variables (i.e., access to public outdoor spaces at work and home, job type). Although most of the effect sizes were small, these findings offer straightforward and potentially low-cost practical implications for organizations interested in improving the health and retention of their employees.