workplaces: wellness+ wood= productivity · productivity and therefore the australian economy. the...
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A report prepared for Forest & Wood Products Australia*by Andrew Knox, Howard Parry-Husbands,Pollinate**February 2018
Workplaces: Wellness + Wood = Productivity
Background
Internationally and in Australia, there
has been extensive research on the
positive health and wellbeing impacts
of spending time outside in nature.
This research builds on the ‘biophilia
hypothesis’1 first popularised by
Edward Wilson. Wilson argued that
humans have an innate tendency to
seek connections with nature and
other forms of life. Biophilic design
elements such as natural light, plants,
nature views and water features are
increasingly used in the modern built
environment. In the last 35 years
there have been studies exploring the
relationship between exposure to
these elements and wellbeing. Some
of the key findings are outlined below.
• Office design: productivity can be
increased by 8% and rates of
well-being increased by 13%
• Education spaces: increased rates
of learning, improved test results,
concentration levels and
attendance, reduced impacts of
ADHD
• Healthcare spaces: post-operative
rates of recovery reduced by 8.5%,
reduced pain medication by 22%
• Retail: the presence of vegetation &
landscaping has been found to
increase average rental rates on
retail spaces with customers
indicating they were willing to pay
8-12% more for goods and services.
• Homes: 7-8 % less crime attributed
to areas with access to nature and
can command an increase of 4-5%
in property price
More recently this hypothesis has
been extended to include exposure to
wood in the built environment. As a
natural material, wood is thought to
provide a connection to nature and
therefore improve physical and
mental wellbeing. Internationally,
studies have demonstrated this
relationship in offices, schools and
hospitals. However, to date there has
been little rigorous primary research
conducted in Australia.
In the context of increasing
urbanisation and declining exposure
to nature, Pollinate undertook a
large-scale study investigating the
relationship between exposure to
wood in the workplace and workers’
reported wellbeing. The following
document is based on the results of
an online survey of 1000 ‘typical’
Australians working in indoor
environments. The sample was
recruited via an accredited market
research panel and structured to
reflect Australia’s indoor working
population with respect to gender,
age and location using Australian
Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data.
2
1 Wilson, E.O. 1984. Biophilia. Harvard University Press, Cambridge.
There is a growing body of evidence
internationally demonstrating that
connection to nature, biophilic design
and wood is associated with
improved physical and mental
wellbeing. Most Australians lead
increasingly indoor lives and have
limited opportunities to connect with
nature in their everyday activities.
There are benefits in simulating this
important connection with nature
through the use of wood and
biophilic design in the built
environment.
Pollinate have conducted Australia’s
first large scale study investigating
this relationship among indoor
workers. A survey of 1000 ‘typical’
indoor Australian workers was
conducted and resulted in the
following key findings:
• Around two thirds of indoor
workers spend most of their work
day in an office environment
• Around half spend an hour or less
outdoors each day
• Over a third aren’t satisfied with
their physical working environment
• The majority use negative words
such as enclosed and dull to
describe their workplace
• Over one in four take unplanned
leave when they are physically fit
but don’t feel like going to work
• Workers who are satisfied are less
likely to take unplanned leave and
have fewer sick days
• Workers in workplaces with more
wood have higher levels of
satisfaction
• Biophilic design elements e.g.
plants, natural light are also
correlated with increased
workplace satisfaction
• Workers in work environments with
exposed wood feel more
connected to nature and have more
positive associations with their
workplace
• Those in wooden working
environments have higher levels of
wellbeing and take less leave
• Wood is correlated with higher
levels of concentration, improved
mood and personal productivity
Executive Summary3
Australians lead increasingly indoor
lives. Higher rates of urbanisation
mean that people have less access
to nature in their daily lives, with
Australians now spending over 90%
of their time indoors.2 Obesity, stress
levels and mental health issues have
risen and technology (especially
screens) have encroached into almost
all areas of life. With working hours
on the rise, the workplaces also play
an increasingly significant role in the
overall wellbeing of Australians.
Indoor workers have very limited
exposure to the outside world. The
average full-time indoor worker
spends 38 hours a week at their
workplace with two thirds working
in an office environment. For half
of these people the average work
day involves an hour or less spent
outdoors. In this context, the
impact that the physical workplace
environment has on a worker’s
physical and mental health should
not be underestimated.
According to the results of the survey
the average worker takes 3.2 sick
days a year. While this figure might
not sound alarming, these sick days
are not all attributable to illness.
Over one in four (28%) workers
admitted to taking unplanned leave
on days where they felt physically
fit but just didn’t feel like going to
work (see figure 1).
The ability to minimise this
unplanned leave would have
significant implications for workplace
productivity and therefore the
Australian economy.
The link between job satisfaction
and productivity has been well
established in several academic
papers.3 The happier the worker the
more effective they will be in their
role. Therefore, it is crucial for
organisations to focus on worker
satisfaction in order to maximise
productivity. According to the results
of this survey only 66% of workers are
satisfied with their working life and
only 59% with their workplace’s
physical environment (see figure 2).
This leaves a significant proportion
who may not be maximising their
potential while at work.
The Australian indoor workplace
2 Indoor air. at <http://www.environment.gov.au/topics/environment-protection/air-quality/indoor-air>3 Westover, J. H., Westover, A. R., & Westover, L. A. (2010). Enhancing long-term worker productivity and
performance: The connection of key work domains to job satisfaction and organizational commitment.
International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 59(4), 372-387.
4
Figure 1: Incidence of avoidable unplanned leave
Figure 2: Satisfaction with working life and workplacephysical environment
Yes No
Very satisfied
Satisfied
Neither
Dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
28
72
Unplanned leave taken where
physically fit but didn’t feel like going to work
(%)
16
49
19
10
6 66%
Satisfaction with working life
16
44
22
14
4 59%
Satisfaction with workplace physical
environment
When asked which words describe their workplace, most workers
chose some negative associations such as enclosed, dull and synthetic.
An area in which workers are least satisfied is their connection with nature
while at work. Only 47% of workers are satisfied with this element of their
workplace. Given the established link between nature and wellbeing there
is an opportunity to improve this component of the Australian workplace.
Incorporating biophilic design elements such as wood, plants, nature views
is a strategy to improve workers’ connection with nature and therefore their
overall wellbeing and productivity.
5
Figure 3: Words used todescribe workplace
Figure 4: Satisfaction with elements of the workplace
42
24
23
21
20
20
18
16
19
72
28
25
21
19
18
11
60
Comfortable
Relaxing
Warm
Collaborative
Calming
Natural feeling –light, colours, materials etc.
Inviting
Energising
Stimulating
NET Positive associations
Stressful
Enclosed
Frustrating
Dull
Synthetic feeling –light, colours, materials etc.
Suffocating
NET Negative associations
3
4
5
3
4
5
3
5
6
9
13
14
14
13
10
11
15
13
16
22
15
15
14
18
20
18
21
24
22
22
52
52
49
53
46
49
47
46
44
36
17
16
19
13
20
16
14
11
13
11
Very dissatisfied Dissatisfied Neither Satisfied Very satisfied
Top 2 box
69
68
67
66
66
65
61
57
56
47
Shared amenities (e.g. toilets, kitchen)
Physical comfort (e.g. temp., airflow)
Natural light
The physical layout
Workplace culture
Noise levels (e.g. office chatter)
Ergonomics (e.g. comfortable chairs)
Interior design
The outlook from your workstation
Connection with nature (e.g. views, plants)
Workplace satisfaction and worker performance
6
Given the relationship between workplace satisfaction and productivity,
creating worker friendly environments can have a potentially significant
economic benefit. As workplace satisfaction increases the incidence of
unplanned leave decreases. Almost half (48%) of workers who are very
dissatisfied with their physical workplace have taken unplanned leave
compared to only 22% of those who are very satisfied.
Figure 5: Incidence of unplanned leave by workplace satisfaction
Figure 6: Average leave days by physical workplace satisfaction
Workers who are satisfied with their physical workplace take less sick leave.
On average workers who are very satisfied with their physical workplace take
4 less sick days per year compared to those who are very dissatisfied.
48
22
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Very dissatisfied Dissatisfied Neutral Satisfied Very satisfied
Satisfaction with working life Satisfaction with workplace physical environment
11
76
2
1
4
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Very dissatisfied Dissatisfied Neutral Satisfied Very satisfied
Annual leave Sick leave Parental/family/carers leave Unpaid leave
Wood, biophilic design and workplace satisfaction
7
Wood and biophilic design is an opportunity to improve workers’ connection
with nature, increasing satisfaction and productivity. As previously mentioned,
biophilic design elements encompass natural light, windows, indoor plants and
water features. Around three quarters of workers can see at least one of these
elements from their workstation. However, this leaves one in four workers who
have little to no connection to nature and the outside world.
Figure 7: Elements visible from primary workstation
Figure 8: Material associations (Pollinate consumer tracking research 2017)
For Australians, wood has very positive associations, particularly when
compared to other materials such as concrete and steel. As the following
figure shows, the vast majority see wood as being natural, warm and relaxing.
As a natural material with very positive associations wood has the potential
to offer workers a connection to nature inside the workplace.
47
42
38
10
74
Natural light (e.g. skylight)
A window with a view of surrounding nature
Indoor plants
A water feature
NET Biophilic design elements
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90Natural
Warm
Relaxing
Promotes health
Genuine
Uplifting
Timeless
Versatile
Practical
VariedDependablePremium
Unique
Contemporary
Old Fashioned
Modern
Unreliable
Boring
Harsh
Cold
Low quality
Wood
Bricks
Concrete
Steel
8
Exposure to wooden items in the workplace environment is relatively high.
Around three quarters of workers can see at least one ‘natural looking’ wooden
item from their workspace e.g. their desk, tables or cupboards. While there is
high incidence of biophilic design elements and wooden items there is also a
spread in terms of the number of elements and proportion of surfaces that are
wood. This spread enables us to look at these different groups to investigate
the relationship with worker satisfaction.
Figure 9: Elements visible from primary workspace/workstation
Figure 10: Workplace satisfactionby number of biophilic design elements
Satisfaction with both working life and the physical workplace increases
steadily with the proportion of natural looking wooden surfaces. People in
workplaces with less than 20% natural looking wooden surfaces are far less
satisfied with both their working life and physical workplace compared
to those with a high proportion of wood.
45
39
39
38
31
29
28
22
17
17
17
2
72
Desk
Tables
Shelving/cupboards
Doors
Chairs
Window or picture frames
Cannot see any wooden item
Floorboards
Roof/ceiling beams
Blinds
Wall paneling
Other
NET Wood items visible
Proportion of exposed surfaces that are natural looking wood
28
16
14
17
14
8
3
0%
1-9%
10-19%
20-39%
40-59%
60-79%
80-100%
Natural-looking wooden items seen from workstation (%)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
0% 1-9% 10-19% 20-39% 40-59% 60-79% 80-100%
Working life Workplace physical environment
4 Goldhagen, S.W. 2017. Welcome to your world. Harper Collins.
9
This relationship also holds when it comes to biophilic design elements.
Satisfaction with both working life and the physical workplace increases along
with the number of biophilic design elements visible. These findings reinforce
the benefits of offering a connection to nature in the indoor environment.
Figure 11: Workplace satisfaction by number of biophilic design elements
Figure 12: Workplace satisfaction by proportion of natural looking wooden surfaces
So how do we explain this clear relationship between wood, biophilic design
and workplace satisfaction? Leading US architecture critic and lecturer
Professor Sarah Goldhagen makes a compelling case for how the built
environment shapes our emotions, memories and wellbeing.4 Design can either
embrace and enhance the human experience or can result in habitats that
detract from the day-to-day business of being human. Goldhagen claims that
the use of natural elements and views is essential to good design. She also
makes a case for public policy to consider the impacts of the urban form and
urban design on the health, productivity and wellbeing of the entire community.
With its powerful positive attributes, wood taps into our feelings and enhances
our workplace experience. Workers with exposure to a higher proportion
of wooden surfaces have more positive associations with their workplace
e.g. relaxing, calming and feel more connected to nature.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
0 1 2 3 4
Working life Workplace's physical environment
52
9174
37
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
0% 1 -9% 10-19% 20-39% 40-59% 60-79% 80-100%
NET Positive associations NET Negative assocations
Proportion of exposed surfaces that are natural-looking wood
10
Figure 13: Connection with nature by proportion of natural looking wooden surfaces
The results of this survey build on the biophilia hypothesis and demonstrate
that, in the context of increasingly indoor lives, visible wood in the workplace
offers a connection to nature. This connection with nature drives feelings of
satisfaction and positive workplace associations. To outline this relationship
simply:
• Wood = connection with nature
• Connection with nature = workplace satisfaction
• Wood = workplace satisfaction
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
0% 1 -9% 10-19% 20-39% 40-59% 60-79% 80-100%
Connection with nature (e.g. views, plants)
Proportion of exposed surfaces that are natural-looking wood
5 The economics of Biophilia, Terrapin Brighton Green 2012
Wood and worker performance
11
Around three quarters of workers rate their productivity and ability to think,
learn and concentrate as very good. However, this leaves one in four who
believe they are not performing well at work most of the time.
Figure 14: State at work most of the time
Figure 15: Productivity, concentration and moodby proportion of natural looking wooden surfaces
Biophilic design in the workplace has been shown to increase productivity by
15%, raise creativity, improve staff retention and crucially reduce absenteeism.5
Given its role in building connections to nature, wood is also associated with
higher levels of productivity.
Those in workplaces with more exposed wood rate their personal productivity,
ability to concentrate and overall mood more positively. These workers are far
more likely to rate their stress levels as good when compared to those with
little to no exposed wooden surfaces.
1
1
2
3
7
5
7
8
9
17
17
18
19
23
27
51
51
51
48
33
26
24
20
17
16
Your personalproductivity
Your ability to think, learn and output either logically or creatively
Your ability to concentrate
Your overall mood
Your stress levels
Very poor Poor Neutral Good Very good
Top 2 box
77
74
71
65
49
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
0% 1 -9% 10-19% 20-39% 40-59% 60-79% 80-100%
Your ability to concentrate
Your ability to think, learn and output…
Your overall mood
Your stress levels (where good is low stress and poor is high stress)
Your personal productivity
Proportion of exposed surfaces that are natural-looking wood
12
Figure 16: Feelings andthoughts at work by proportion of natural looking wooden surfaces
A similar pattern can also be seen when it comes to feelings of clarity,
confidence and optimism.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
0% 1 -9% 10-19% 20-39% 40-59% 60-79% 80-100%
Proportion of exposed surfaces that are natural -looking wood
I’ve been thinking clearly
I’ve been feeling confident
I’ve been dealing with problems well
I’ve been feeling optimistic about the future
I’ve been able to make up my own mind about things
I’ve been feeling relaxed
I’ve been feeling good about myself
I’ve been feeling close to other people
Accounting for confounding variables
13
The above results show a clear
relationship between visible wood
and workplace satisfaction and
productivity. However, it is important
to consider external factors that may
be contributing to the relationship.
Further analysis controlled for factors
known to be associated with worker
wellbeing including; gender, age,
income, occupation and education.
Even after controlling for these
potential confounding factors
workers with more visible wooden
surfaces reported significantly higher
work satisfaction and productivity
than those with fewer wooden
surfaces.
Conclusion14
Humans have an innate need
to connect with nature. In an
increasingly urbanised world with
rising work hours, Australians are
now spending over 90% of their
time indoors. It is therefore socially
and economically important to look
for opportunities to enhance our
connection with nature in the
indoor environment.
Increasing the use of wood and
biophilic design in the Australian
indoor workplace has clear benefits
for both employees and their
employers. The positive connection
people have with wood as a natural
material has the effect of increasing
workplace satisfaction and wellbeing.
Those in workplaces with a higher
proportion of visible wood feel more
connected to nature and rate their
working environment far more
positively. These people report lower
stress levels, higher concentration
and improved overall mood.
In addition to these compelling
employee benefits the use of
exposed wood in the workplace has
a clear benefit to the organisation.
Wood in the workplace is associated
with higher productivity and reduced
sick leave.
Increasing the use of wood in the
Australian workplace not only
benefits employees but improves
organisational productivity and
therefore the Australian economy.
Wood is the only renewable building
material and the one most loved by
Australians. Wood is natural, timeless,
versatile and elicits feelings of
warmth and comfort in those
exposed to it. There is a growing
body of evidence to suggest that the
future of the Australian indoor built
environment is wood.
The benefits of bringing nature to work
15
Visibility of wood in the working environment
Physical workplace satisfaction
Satifaction with working life
<20% >60%
47%
56%
81%
81%
44% 61%
49% 68%
42% 65%
Optimistic about the future -most of the time
Confident - most of the time
Stress levels - low
65% 83%Ability to Concentrate
Productivity
*Forest and Wood Products Australia Ltd
(FWPA) is a not for profit company providing
national research and development and
promotional services to the Australian forest
and wood products industry.
Images courtesy of the Australian Timber Design Awards and Forest and Wood Products Australia
Cover/back cover: Image 1: Adelaide Workplace for Energy Company - DJRD Architects
Cover/back cover, Image 2: Ansarada Office - Those Architects and End of Work
Cover/back cover, Image 3: Bresic Whitney Hunters Hill - Chenchow Little
Cover/back cover, Image 4: ACU Institutes at Spring St - Bower Architecture
P2: Bresic Whitney Hunters Hill - Chenchow Little
P3: AECOM Brisbane Workplace - BVN Architecture
P14: Ecosciences Precinct - HASSELL Architects
P13: ACU Institutes at Spring St - Bower Architecture
**Established in 2004 Pollinate is an
independently owned full service market
research agency based in Sydney.
Pollinate is where people, brands
and ideas come to grow.