Other tech giants, like Apple, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft similarly offer biophilic spaces at work, such as roof decks that look out into greenery and treehouse meeting spaces. Inside Amazon’s Spheres, where employees can working among diverse plant life (Credit: Amazon) From spherical glass conservatories to co-working campsites We’re not viewing this as an escape the framework is productive time in the outdoors.Ĭould working outside be a way to address some of the challenges of the modern workplace, or will it be used by organizations as another perfunctory and tone-deaf wellness program - like the stress reduction workshops no one attends because they’re too busy with work? I spoke with scientists and workplaces that are offering the option to find out more. But although being outside - particularly in nature and away from an urban environment - confers an overwhelming amount of benefits, there is less scientific research about whether taking office work outside has the same effect. They and others say working outside could help reduce some of the common problems people have at the office - such as lack of focus and engagement - and help improve workers’ performance, creativity, and general well-being. “We’re not viewing this as an escape the framework is productive time in the outdoors,” said Kathryn Pratt, director of brand engagement at L.L. Bean says it has chosen to focus on the workplace - rather than say, encouraging people to hike or camp - because work is where we spend so much of our time - from around one-half to one-third of our waking hours. Many experts fear this is giving us “ nature deficit disorder,” a term coined by writer Richard Luov to describe the negative effects of being divorced from the outdoors.īut why take your office work outside? L.L. Children spend less time outdoors on average than prison inmates, according to an arresting video campaign from 2016 called Free the Kids by Persil laundry detergent. Environmental Protection Agency, and a fraction of that time in nature. We spend only around 7 percent of our time outside, according to a study by the U.S. It comes in an era when Americans are perhaps more divorced from nature than ever. At the same time, a growing body of research is showing what many of us intuitively know: being in the outdoors does wonders for our mind and bodies. Research shows that spending time outside makes us more productive, more creative, and happier.Īlthough not widely practiced, the idea of working outdoors or among natural elements is emerging among workplace designers and a number of companies. Bean and Industrious were renting in hour-long time slots for free. When I visited their space in New York’s Madison Square Park in late June, nearby office workers had descended with their laptops, filling up the meeting pods and solo spaces that L.L. Bean partners with Industrious to launch temporary outdoor coworking spaces in New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, and Madison. “We’re starting a movement,” the company said, to encourage people to take “a small piece of your workday outside.” “Research shows that spending time outside makes us more productive, more creative, and happier,” L.L. The spaces were equipped with outlets, WiFi, open air meeting rooms, individual desk space, and even chairs with bike pedals. Bean and co-working company Industrious sought to encourage bosses to do the same thing by opening temporary co-working spaces in New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, and Madison, Wisconsin. This past summer, outdoor apparel company L.L. Students have long tried - usually with little success - to convince their teachers to hold class outside on a nice day. Work doesn’t have to take place within office walls –– it can happen outdoors, or anywhere at all! Read our Twist Remote Work Guides to learn how distributed teams like Doist, Automattic, Buffer, and Stripe are changing the face of work and providing their team members with flexibility in the process.
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