impact of green spaces on workplace stress; insights from software companies in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Workplace stress is a common issue that can cause a range of debilitating health outcomes including depression, anxiety, cardiovascular diseases, musculoskeletal problems, or alcohol dependence of workers affecting their satisfaction, work efficiency and productivity. It was hypothetically assumed that exposure to green spaces can reduce stress levels leading to workplace satisfaction due to the restorative effects of nature. The literature establishes with a strong base of evidence that the regular touch with nature is required to reduce workplace stress while maintaining a balanced mental health. Exposure to nature as a strategy to reduce stress levels at the workplace was tested by this preliminary field investigation with reference to three software companies in Sri Lanka. The cases (C1, C2, C3) were selected based on the existing levels of greenery; C1, C2, and C3 with high density, moderate density, and low density of greenery, respectively. An online questionnaire survey was adopted with three volunteer groups of employees (n = 60, 20 per case) to test the level of nature-contact, perceived stress, and satisfaction of employees. Aligning with literature the study revealed a direct association between the density of greenery vs stress levels and satisfaction of employees. Respondents of C1 were found to be less stressed (88%) and more satisfied (80%) with their job compared to the other two cases while respondents of C3 were the most stressed (57%) and least satisfied (71%). 94% out of the total respondents, perceived that exposure to green spaces increased perceived work efficiency via maintaining mental health (27% agreed, 67% strongly agreed). Considering the revealed positive impacts on mental health, the study recommends increasing the level of exposure to nature in order to boost satisfaction and work efficiency of employees in software companies of Sri Lanka.