Seeds

Plants in the office

Plants / flowers in hospitals

Playgrounds and fields at schools

Open green spaces

For years, we have known about the benefits of having natural living plants around us. The joy of seeing things grow and the satisfaction of eating what we have grown.

Many employers will have plants in the office and in the absence of natural light, some will even have fake plants, just to make the environment feel more natural.

With Valentine’s day looming, we are focussing on how employers can show their employees that they really care.

In case you have missed any of our previous suggestions, you can find them here:

1.     Training courses

2.     Chocolates, wine & flowers (or not)!

3.     A wellbeing day

For today, it is all about plants……

I remember both of my kids coming home from nursery as three year olds with an egg box filled with cotton wool and seeds. We gently watered and nurtured those seeds as we grew our mustard and cress. The thrill of watching the seeds germinate and grow was infectious and monitoring the seeds became a family activity. The kids even ate the green stuff when it was ready to be consumed – their first experience of eating what they have grown.

Why do I tell you this?

To make you think!

What packet of seeds could you send your staff?

What little bit of happiness can you spread?

Do they have an indoor space such as a windowsill for mustard and cress? Or do they have an outdoor space where they could grow tomatoes or even courgettes when they get too big for the windowsill?

The gift of giving is in itself powerful, but when it’s combined with the good health benefits of growing plants and the satisfaction of eating what you have grown – the power of the gift is multiplied significantly.