San Diego, CA. (September 14, 2022) – Labor Day 2022 is now behind us, the unofficial end of summer. Back to school and back to work for many Americans. I’m back from a late summer trip to Minneapolis to meet with my workplace greenery colleagues of the Silverado Roundtable, and I snuck in a family visit in Denver. I’m glad to be back at Good Earth Plant Company with many exciting new projects ahead this fall.

But back to work means something different after the coronavirus pandemic. It doesn’t necessarily mean going back to the office environment. Nearly two and a half years after the pandemic hit the U.S., employers struggle to bring staff back in. Workers have voted, and working from home has won.

Employers keep trying to change their minds. Companies figured out the stick approach wasn’t working. Workers quit and found new jobs to accommodate them. So, they turned to the carrot with perks, incentives, events, and even contests with prizes. Some have worked. Others, not so much.

Common attempts include free meals, snacks, coffee bars, and happy hours. Other companies tried to get creative to lure people back. Trivia nights, yoga classes, and even office sleep pods for that quick afternoon siesta.

Did it work? After several months, Co-Star’s office attendance increased from four percent to 20 percent.

Bring Nature to Work and Employees Will Follow

Co-Star, talk to us at Good Earth Plant Company, read our blog, and download our white paper, The Nature of the Post-Pandemic Environment. We could have saved you a lot of money.

Our Eco-Warriors at Good Earth Plant Company have understood for years what employees want in their work environment, wherever it’s located, and what offers them the most health and wellness benefits – which result in increased productivity and creativity in their work.

It’s more than coffee bars; it’s science. Studies repeatedly show providing workspaces based on biophilic design principles yields all these benefits. It’s a simple approach. Introducing elements of nature, including natural light, fresh air, and organic materials like real wood, stone, and plants.

The 21st-century office should be filled with light and plants when employees return. Photo: Valeria Boltneva

Businesses and employees don’t look at workplaces or work the way they did in 2020. The Great Resignation (or Realignment or Renegotiation) accelerated a HEALTHIER new way of thinking about what it means to “go to work.”

In our white paper, we explain (backed by data) how fostering a healthy workplace culture with the flexibility to accommodate a hybrid menu of options can flourish, driven by biophilic design and workplace greenery.

Employees now want the best of both worlds: the focus and comfort of working from home, along with the ability to return to collaborative workspaces to be part of a team, contributing to the return of a robust economy and enriched lives. But they want the workplace to support their well-being and be at least as supportive as the alternative at home.

We’ve been following the Working From Home Research Project (WFH Research). Since March 2021, WFH Research has tracked 78,000 U.S. employees ages 20 to 64 working full time. A comprehensive report published earlier this year found 42% of all employees would either look for a new job or quit if their employer required an immediate full-time return to the office; this increases among women and minority employees.

Why?

In a survey conducted by Morning Consult, employees working from home engaged in more healthy practices. Now they insist on the same benefit in the workplace.

Read more: The One Return To Work Incentive Bringing Employees Back