Employee Wellness Starts in the Garden
A nationwide wellness initiative, called the Eat Local movement, encourages businesses to explore ways for employees to obtain produce grown nearby. Some employers partner with area farmers who deliver baskets of produce directly to the worksite. Others invite vendors to set up farmers’ markets. A recent employee wellness strategy involves companies sponsoring their own gardens.
Access to fresh produce from employer-sponsored gardens provides a unique low-cost solution to today’s healthcare containment dilemma, an affordable employee health benefit, and an appreciated community outreach program. Haberman, a public relations and branding company in Minneapolis, set up a garden for its 30 employees and their families in the spring of 2009.
The company rents a 1/3-acre plot for the garden from co-owner Liz Otto. Her rural property is roughly 30 minutes from the office. Although Fred Haberman (CEO) occasionally gives employees time off during the business day to work the garden, most choose to go out at the end of the day and on weekends. “Companies with a garden onsite have more flexibility in that area, but this works for us. It’s amazing how much food can be produced from such a small space. At the end of a stressful day, working the garden is very relaxing.”
Liz is the driving force behind the garden becoming a reality. “It doesn’t take much to set up and run a garden. First, figure out what can be done with the planting space. Then map out the needed jobs throughout the season. There are natural overlapping learning moments… planting, weeding, replanting failed crops, picking and harvesting. Create a plan that allows employees to touch what is happening in the garden, especially during those milestone moments.”
When Liz presented the schedule to staff, she outlined a plan and how people could get involved. “We offer the garden yield as a take-home benefit. Employees who sign up to work the garden get first dibs on produce, but there’s always plenty for everyone. We have a refrigerator in the break area that is literally packed with produce all the time. I go to the office every Tuesday and bring whatever has been harvested. Employees and family members who come out to the garden can pick what they want whenever they want.”
Have a Plan
When they first proposed the garden, Liz was pleasantly surprised to get 21 volunteers. “Don’t overwhelm your volunteers with tasks. Meet them where they are. Design very focused, short tasks — like weeding a row of carrots. We required a minimum commitment of 3 visits of 2-3 hours. Someone is always there to guide them through the tasks. Everyone felt this was reasonable, but many want to work more than that. Some put in 10-20 hours in a season.”
Liz reminds new gardeners that a garden keeps growing… all the time! “It’s important to designate a manager to work the garden regularly. Besides myself, we hired another person and 2 teenagers to keep an eye on the garden when others weren’t there. We didn’t want employees to feel pressured about being there every day, because then they wouldn’t enjoy it.”
Liz stresses the importance of maintaining excitement throughout the growing season. “Build a story around the garden. Talk about it at staff meetings. We’ll bring in someone to discuss making recipes with produce that’s in season. I offered brown bag lunch ‘n learns on how to dry herbs. I’ve heard of other companies who bring in experts from local co-ops. Partner with anyone available in your area, like an organic restaurant. It gives their organization valuable exposure. Maybe you can find local cooks to volunteer their expertise. Such programs keep employees jazzed about the garden.”
The company harvested over 400 pounds of tomatoes and 40 pounds of green beans, but not everything fared so well. Liz laughs, “We hoped to have tons of peas — a highly desired item on our survey — but we grew only a single pole of peas! I brought it in to a staff meeting, said, ‘This is it,’ and everyone got to eat one. But that’s learning too. We looked at what we did and learned what went wrong for next year.”
Gardening Equals Employee Health
Whether a rooftop, parking lot, corporate grounds, or rented plot off campus, any space with room for digging or containers can become a garden. Fred sees employer-sponsored gardens as a sound corporate wellness strategy. “From the beginning, our company was excited over the idea. We are a very health-oriented company anyway, but the garden has become the focal point of our employee health and wellness efforts. We put food on employees’ tables. They eat better because it tastes better. They learn how food is grown and what an easy lifestyle choice gardening can be. As employees and their families work the garden, they get to know each other and form stronger bonds. We create team-building experiences around the garden. Obviously there is also an exercise component to gardening. Not only do they feel good physically, but their hearts feel good too when they see the (excess) fruits of their labor go toward helping the needy through our community food bank.”
According to Fred, the garden is a source for celebration and camaraderie. “Our first Harvest Party was a huge success. Everyone and their families came together at the garden. The kids got to pick the pumpkins we planted to take home for Halloween. It’s important for kids to participate in the gardening. It creates a deeper understanding of where food comes from. My own son, who used to hate anything green, has come to love fresh basil on his burgers.”
Few corporate wellness benefits come with a lower price tag than a garden. While a local nursery donated a few basic gardening tools, Haberman spent ,000 the first year and approximately 00 the next. Fred points out, “A lot of that went into land rental and our choice to hire people to oversee the garden. A larger company or an onsite garden wouldn’t require that approach. When justifying onsite gardens, consider the cost of commercial landscaping to maintain a corporate campus. Reallocating that money toward a garden makes it a minimal investment. And you’re getting so much back in return.”
Liz’s background is marketing. She sees other uses for a garden’s bounty. “Take baskets of fresh food to clients as a way of saying thanks. It’s an opportunity to share what your company is about and underscores how you place a value on corporate health and wellness.”
Liz learned gardening from her father and her own studies. But she emphasizes there are many resources for companies seeking assistance. “In the nationwide Master Gardener program, avid gardeners become certified through an intense home horticulture training program. In return, they pay back local university extension agents through volunteering in garden lectures, exhibits, demonstrations, community gardening initiatives, and research.” (Find out more at www.ahs.org/master_gardeners).
Haberman recently invested in a composter for the company kitchen; everyone feeds it with scraps and anticipates mounds of fertile compost for next year. Fred hopes to see more time spent during future harvests for canning and creating sauces to extend the garden’s benefits into the winter.
He encourages other organizations to look at employer-sponsored gardens as a corporate health strategy for controlling costs. “When employees sign up to participate in the garden, it indicates they are inclined to make other healthy choices in their lives. It makes as much sense to discount healthcare premiums for employees participating in a garden as for someone with a health club membership.” The editors of Human Resource Executive magazine agree — they named the Haberman garden in the top 5 benefit ideas of 2010.
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