Forget about free massages or a gym membership to lure staff back to work, as future thinking companies are embracing a more sustainable approach to their office environment by introducing multi-purpose productive workplace urban farms for staff to reap the benefits and enjoy.
And this could be you!
The Sustainable Landscape Company is busily creating a suite of super sustainable and innovative urban farms tailored specifically for the office and workplace, with demand steadily on the rise around Victoria. And the stars of the workplace garden is Foodcube.
Innovative, creative and tasty offering
The workplace urban farms boast Australian designed and manufactured Foodcube self-watering wicking beds, with a potential to grow hundreds of kilograms of fresh produce per annum from a typical small space.
Staff can wander and explore their workplace garden, handpicking produce such as lettuce and spring onions for their lunch, then revisiting the garden at day’s end, to grab some of their ingredients such as cherry tomatoes and herbs for their dinner.
The urban farm can also feature composting areas and native plant landscaping with an emphasis on pollinator attractors, seating, shade structures and meeting spaces for staff and visitors throughout.
The urban farm is an ideal place for employees to convene and socialize, and could now become the modern-day water cooler area.
Growing produce, promoting wellbeing
In the current Australian labour market, where competition for talent is at an all-time high, environmentally aware employees are looking for employers of choice who lead in climate action and sustainability.
Staff are looking for workplaces to lift their performance on carbon neutral, regenerative and circular economy practices. The Covid pandemic also highlighted the value of having access to green space and inspired interest in urban farming approaches to growing food in cities, neighbourhoods, and small spaces.
The workplace farm design assists workplaces to become circular economy by capturing and composting organics such a food and green waste, that can be diverted straight back into food production in the workplace. The urban farm also shows how to reduce food kms to food meters, reduce food bills, reduce urban heating, and create opportunities for team building, exercise and social interaction.
Bounty of benefits
The water efficient farm can be installed in a workplace in days and will be growing food within weeks while creating a thriving and beautiful green space where staff can have meetings, quiet time and breaks, while promoting positive nutrition, mental health and wellbeing.
Workplaces are looking for the best in employees, so organisations need to be creative and innovative in the way they nurture and support their staff. And a workplace urban farm just does that.
Wonderful workplace wicking beds
The ingenuity of a workplace farm is in the design of the Foodcubes, which are one square meter self-watering advanced wicking beds designed and manufactured in Melbourne. They are low maintenance so staff don’t have to be green thumbs to reap the spoils.
The modular design allows for this farm to be rapidly assembled in any small space such as a carpark or courtyard, and if the workplace moves, the urban farm can be packed up, put on pallets and moved to the new workplace.
If you are part of an organisation who is trying to find unique and powerful ways to lure staff back to the workplace, a workplace urban farm can tick all the boxes in showcasing and celebrating your innovative approaches to staff wellbeing.
