Employee Wellbeing London Research Statistics

The Research Behind Nature Connection & Workplace Wellbeing

Evidence-Based Benefits for Organisations

There is a substantial and growing body of research demonstrating the powerful benefits that nature connection brings to individual wellbeing, organisational performance, and environmental sustainability. This page summarises key research findings that inform our nature-based corporate programmes.

Employee Health and Wellbeing

Stress Reduction and Mental Health

Cortisol Reduction: Urban nature experiences can significantly reduce physiological stress markers, with studies showing a 21.3% per hour drop in cortisol (our primary stress hormone) and a 28.1% reduction in stress-indicating amylase levels (Hunter et al., 2019).
Anxiety and Depression: For every 1% increase in the proportion of useable or total green space near to the home, there is a 4% reduction in the number of anxiety/mood disorder treatment cases (Business in the Community, 2021).
Preventative Mental Health: Visits to outdoor green spaces of 30 minutes or more during the course of a week result in a 7% reduction in the prevalence of depression (Business in the Community, 2021).
Stress Response Shift: Research shows that engaging with nature can reduce stress responses by up to 60%, shifting our more reactive sympathetic nervous system (fight, flight, freeze) response towards our more rejuvenating parasympathetic nervous system (rest, digest, repair) response (Hunter et al., 2019).

Physiological Benefits of Forest Environments

Studies consistently demonstrate that time in forest environments leads to (Park et al., 2010):

Lower pulse rates (6.0% decrease)
Reduced blood pressure (1.7% systolic decrease)
Enhanced parasympathetic nerve activity (56.1% increase)
Reduced sympathetic nerve activity (19.4% decrease)
Improved immune function and cellular health

Organisational Performance Benefits

Productivity and Cognitive Function

Increased Productivity: Research indicates a 15% increase in worker productivity when office spaces are enhanced with plants (Business in the Community, 2021).
Improved Cognitive Function: Studies show a 12% increase in reaction time when in the presence of plants (Business in the Community, 2021).
Efficiency Gains: Workers with a view of nature handle calls 6-7% faster than those with no view. This generates annual productivity savings of around £2,400 ($2,990) per employee (Business in the Community, 2021).

Reduced Absenteeism and Cost Savings

Reduced Sick Leave: Employees with views of trees and landscapes took an average of 11 hours less sick leave per year than employees with no view. This equates to an average saving of around £1,600 ($2,000) per employee (Business in the Community, 2021).
Overall Reduction: Studies show a 23% decrease in sick leave taken by employees with a view of nature (Business in the Community, 2021).
Mental Health Costs: A recent study from Deloitte found that the costs to employers of poor mental health in the workplace are substantial. Using conservative assumptions, they estimate a total annual cost to businesses of up to £45bn, comprising £7bn in absence costs, £27bn – £29bn in presenteeism costs and £9bn in costs of staff turnover (Business in the Community, 2021).

Creativity and Innovation

Dual-Pathway Enhancement: Nature experiences support creativity through dual pathways: by restoring our capacity for focused attention while also enabling the kind of mind wandering that leads to new insights and solutions (Williams et al., 2018).
Problem-Solving: Research by Atchley, Strayer, & Atchley (2012) demonstrates that four days of immersion in nature increased performance on a creativity problem-solving task by a full 50% compared to a control group.

Generational Challenges in the Workplace

Young Professional Impact: Recent research by Vitality reveals that Gen Z and young millennial employees in Britain are losing the equivalent of one working day every week due to mental health challenges -- a staggering 64% higher rate than their older colleagues (Vitality Research, 2024).
Digital Intensity: The proliferation of digital tools has created new challenges in maintaining sustained focus, with research showing decreased memory retention, reduced attention spans, and cognitive overload in many young professionals (Shanmugasundaram & Tamilarasu, 2023).
Support Gap: While companies often provide mental health support, only 25% of employees feel able to reach out for help, though importantly, 85% of those who do use these resources find them beneficial (Vitality Research, 2024).

Nature Connection and Environmental Sustainability

Pro-Environmental Behaviours: Research into the psychological construct of nature-connectedness shows that people who feel more emotionally connected to the natural world are more likely to engage in pro-environmental behaviours (Whitburn, Linklater, & Abrahamse, 2020).
Workplace Sustainability: As employees develop a deeper connection with nature, we see a ripple effect that touches every aspect of their decision-making processes at work, including greater commitment to sustainability initiatives (Nature in Mind, 2024).

References

Atchley, R. A., Strayer, D. L., & Atchley, P. (2012). Creativity in the wild: Improving creative reasoning through immersion in natural settings. PloS one, 7(12), e51474.

Business in the Community. (2021). The Power of Nature for Employee Wellbeing. Retrieved from https://www.bitc.org.uk/

Hunter, M. R., Gillespie, B. W., & Chen, S. Y. P. (2019). Urban nature experiences reduce stress in the context of daily life based on salivary biomarkers. Frontiers in psychology, 10, 722.

Park, B. J., Tsunetsugu, Y., Kasetani, T., Kagawa, T., & Miyazaki, Y. (2010). The physiological effects of Shinrin-yoku (taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing): evidence from field experiments in 24 forests across Japan. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine, 15(1), 18-26.

Shanmugasundaram, U., & Tamilarasu, S. (2023). The impact of digital technology on cognitive functions. Journal of Cognitive Psychology.

Vitality Research Study. (2024). The impact of mental health on workplace productivity.

Whitburn, J., Linklater, W., & Abrahamse, W. (2020). Meta‐analysis of human connection to nature and pro-environmental behavior. Conservation Biology, 34(1), 180-193.

Williams, F. (2016). Nature: A New Paradigm for Workplace Wellbeing. The Future of Human Ecology.

Williams, K. J., Lee, K. E., Hartig, T., Sargent, L. D., Williams, N. S., & Johnson, K. A. (2018). Conceptualising creativity benefits of nature experience: Attention restoration and mind wandering as complementary processes. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 59, 36-45.

Note: All statistics and research findings on this page are drawn from peer-reviewed scientific studies and reputable organisational research. While this research strongly supports the benefits of nature connection for workplace wellbeing, individual experiences may vary.