Integrating nature and workplaces in a post-COVID-19 world: building back better

ABSTRACT

COVID-19 has shone a bright light on the devastating long-term trend of urbanisation that removes us from nature, decreases exposure to biodiversity and consequently degrades our health and wellbeing. ‘Working from home’ came into sharp focus for keeping white-collar workers working during ‘lockdown’ periods, while exposing the deficiencies of many existing workplaces. We explore how to create healthier workplaces as part of a ‘build back better’ recovery effort. We focus on ‘nature-based solutions’ because of the well-established link between health and exposure to biodiverse natural environments, as well as the additional benefit this has in improving the climate resilience of communities. We recommend engaging both workforces and senior organisational decision-makers in the design of nature-based solutions and establishing inter-disciplinary collaboration.

KEYWORDS:

• Nature
• health
• wellbeing
• nature-based solution
• workplace
• biodiversity

This article is related to:

Research for city practice

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jennifer Allen

Jennifer Allen is a junior doctor working in Wessex deanery and is training in internal medicine. Alongside her hospital clinical work she has worked in online medical education and has a growing interest in the social, economic and environmental factors that influence health and wellbeing.

Rupert Lloyd

Rupert Lloyd is a Senior Health Programme Adviser with Public Health Dorset in the South West Of England. Rupert has worked across local government and the community and voluntary sector with a background in stakeholder dialogue and policy development around topics including climate change and spatial planning. He is interested in the development of local, whole system approaches to increasing access to nature for population health and wellbeing.

Chris Skelly

Chris Skelly is an Analytical Programme Manager in the Department of Health and Social Care. He has worked across public, private and academic sectors and was the International Programme Director for HUMI 2015-2021. He also contributed to the UNFCCC Resilience Frontiers programme, as Pathway 6 Lead for an “ecological approach to human health”, 2019–2022. He participated in this research as the Head of Programmes (Research & Intelligence) at Dorset Public Health.