Outdoor Break Areas: Why Every Business Should Invest in Green Space for Employees

Imagine you’re at work, a few hours into a challenging project, and you need a break. Do you want to head to:

A: A beige break room with a box of stale donuts on a folding table, or

B: A bright outdoor green space with flowers and plants, a shady place to sit, maybe the stress-reducing vibe of a bubbling water fountain? 

Even if you really love donuts, the answer has to be B. 

More and more employers are encouraging workers to duck outdoors for quick rejuvenating walks, lunch breaks in the breeze and brainstorming sessions surrounded by begonias and butterflies.

What are the benefits of green spaces at work? Employees are happier, less stressed, more productive and have a sense that their employers care about them. All of this boosts morale — and makes workers want to stick around.  

Let’s learn more about how you can create refreshing outdoor break areas for employees, including:

What Are the Benefits of Green Spaces at Work?

Office Green Space Means Plenty of Plants

Outdoor Break Areas for Employees Need Shade 

Head to the Roof for Office Green Space

Commercial Landscaping for Office Spaces: Create a Walking Trail

Offer Workplace Outdoor Seating Areas

Add a Soothing Water Feature to Your Office Green Space 

Update your Office Green Space Landscaping

First, What Are the Benefits of Green Spaces at Work? 

Everybody loves to be outside. But most people work inside.

Combine employee wellness with landscaping: Give your team a great outdoor space to eat, socialize, grab a rejuvenating stroll or settle in for an outdoor brainstorming session, and everybody wins. 

Check out these benefits of green spaces at work: 

• Spending time in nature, even in a small office green space, can help reduce stress levels and improve mental health, leading to a more positive and productive work environment.
• People feel better about their workplace when it provides an outdoor break area for employees. That boosts morale and work satisfaction, which leads to increased worker retention.
• Green spaces at the workplace offer social benefits by encouraging casual interactions, promoting a sense of community, boosting employee collaboration, and creating a welcoming environment for employees to connect.
• Access to office green spaces can stimulate creativity and innovative thinking by providing a relaxing and inspiring setting for brainstorming sessions.
• A well-maintained outdoor break area for employees creates a positive first impression for visitors and new employees, enhancing the overall workplace culture. 

How to create a great office green space? Your options depend on how much space you have.
 
The Washington DC area has two distinctly different corporate campus environments. Downtown companies have different options than a suburban corporate campus, as they have limited space. 

Your Level Green account manager can help you figure out a creative outdoor break area for employees based on your space, needs and budget.  

Meanwhile, check out a few key elements of a great office green space:

Office Green Space Means Plenty of Plants

Seasonal rotations of bright, impressive flowers will make your outdoor break area for employees a refreshing haven. Surround your employees with beautiful blooms in beds, planters, and hanging baskets.

Beds of colorful flowers offer an impressive big picture, while planters packed with carefully chosen arrays of intriguing tropical plants pack a punch up close and are a great option when space is limited.

New Guinea impatiens, dragon wing begonia, lantana, hibiscus, and petunias are all great additions.

Outdoor Break Areas for Employees Need Shade 

If you have space, shade trees offer cool respite on hot summer days. 

A couple smart choices:

Zelkova ‘Green Vase’

Noted for its graceful shape and attractive bark, this tree is also a great tree for the urban landscape, as it has a high tolerance for wind, pollution, drought and compacted soils.Its dark green leaves turn soft yellow, orange and russet in autumn.

Crape Myrtle

This popular beauty, with its gorgeous, drooping flower clusters ranging from red to pink to lavender to white, would brighten any office green space. 

It looks fragile and exotic, but is surprisingly hardy. It can also withstand drought after becoming established and is relatively free of diseases and insects.

No space for shade trees? No worries. Shade sails, patio umbrellas, and awnings can all provide shade— and protective cover if a light rain pops up.

Add a pergola for a great covered meeting place. Who wouldn’t rather attend a meeting outside? 

Head to the Roof for Office Green Space

A downtown DC workplace might have a rooftop patio or a terrace. These are great getaways where employees can sip coffee or enjoy lunch.

Green roof technology means you can have a green leafy oasis in the midst of a concrete jungle. 

A green roof is partially or completely covered with vegetation and a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane. 

In addition to providing a lush, relaxing space, green roofs absorb rainwater, provide insulation, create a habitat for wildlife, and even help to lower urban air temperatures.

Planters are great options for green roofs, too, and the plants can easily be rotated throughout the seasons, from spring bulbs to tropical plants for a summer vacation vibe to fall mums and ornamental kale. Even small trees can flourish in pots, adding height and a bit of welcome shade.

Just make sure you arrange for watering, as rooftop planters dry out more easily with extra wind and sun.
 
Level Green uses the latest soil moisture technology that tells us instantly if a planter of flowers and plants need water. 

Sensors tucked into your planter’s soil tell us instantly — from miles away — the moisture content of your plants’ soil.

We can measure the moisture level at different sites from our office, then send watering crews out as needed.
 
This is especially helpful for hard-to-access sites like rooftop gardens, when watering crews often lug water tanks across miles through city traffic then up to rooftops. Plants get water when they need it, without unnecessary trips.

Green roofs are a great option for an outdoor break area for employees in cities like Washington DC, where so much area is taken up by rooftops.

Commercial Landscaping for Office Spaces: Create a Walking Trail

If your workplace has the space, consider walking trails for employees to encourage fitness and breaks.

You don’t have to offer a two-mile trek — even a simple winding path through lavender beds or a pollinator garden combines employee wellness and landscaping for a great office green space feature. 

Offer Workplace Outdoor Seating Areas

Comfortable outdoor seating that stands up to the elements is a key part of your outdoor break area for employees.

Everyone will love to take coffee breaks, eat lunch outdoors, and hold impromptu meetings when nice weather beckons. 

There are several options here, from patio furniture to benches to low retaining walls that do double duty as both seating and a landscape feature. 

Just like indoor furniture, outdoor furniture for your office green space should be adaptable and versatile. Include pieces of furniture for people who prefer space to relax or work alone and for people to get together for a meeting or conversation. 

Add a Soothing Water Feature to Your Office Green Space 

Water features add calming tranquility to outdoor office break areas and help drown out nearby traffic noise.

Some employees will use an outdoor break area to de-stress, grabbing a few moments of calm in the midst of a hectic day. Others might look for a burst of creative energy to brainstorm a project or meet a deadline. 

A water feature adds both energy and calm, with its splashing water and nature-inspired ambience. 

Don’t Forget Some Fun

Make your outdoor break area even more appealing with fun amenities your team members will love: 

• Built-in cornhole games offer a fun diversion during breaks.
• Outdoor ping pong tables are an easy addition to boost break area appeal.
• A fire pit invites warmth on a chilly day -- plus after-work s‘mores!
• An outdoor kitchen doesn’t have to be elaborate, but a basic grill, refrigerator and counter encourages employees to gather for lunch and provides a welcoming space for outdoor company events and employee appreciation meals.

Fun Amenities?

Update your Office Green Space Landscaping

Maybe somebody had the genius idea 20 years ago to combine employee wellness and landscaping with an outdoor office escape. 

It could probably use an update. 

If the landscaping is dated, with shrubs painstakingly pruned into giant cubes, Level Green crews can update it with a looser, more modern feel.

Sustainable, low-maintenance native plants and ornamental grasses that create movement will offer a much more contemporary vibe.

Ready to Create the Perfect Office Green Space? Trust Level Green 

The first step to creating a perfect office green space is finding the right landscaping company to hire.

At Level Green Landscaping, our mission is to help you create a beautiful, functional landscape perfectly suited to your commercial  property.

Our experienced team can install flower beds and stunning planters; walking trails; shade solutions; rooftop terraces; seating areas and more to enhance your corporate campus, whether it’s downtown or in the suburbs. 

And once everything is finished, we can keep it looking fresh with regular maintenance services, including mowing, edging, blowing, pruning, watering and more.

Level Green Landscaping provides commercial landscape maintenance services in Washington DC, Virginia and Maryland. 

If you’re not already a Level Green Landscaping client, we’d love to add you to our growing list of happy customers. Our focus is on commercial properties like offices, mixed-use sites, HOAs, municipalities and institutions. 

Contact us at 202-544-0968. You can also request a free consultation online to meet with us one-on-one.

We’d love to hear from you.