Healthcare workers who regularly use greenery in or around their workplace report higher vitality, greater job satisfaction and better mental well-being. They are also more productive and less inclined to quit their jobs. This is according to research carried out by VU University Amsterdam in cooperation with GGzE among over 600 employees in mental health care (GGZ), care for the disabled and care for the elderly. Yet the majority are dissatisfied with the amount of green space at their location, with only one in eight using it daily. "There is a big gap: care workers want much more green space than they currently get," says behavioural scientist Jolanda Maas. "If we take that seriously, it could be part of the answer to the care crisis."
This is the first time the relationship between greenery and vitality has been studied among long-term care employees. Earlier it was done among hospital and office workers. "While precisely long-term care is under enormous pressure," says Maas. "Our results confirm this: a quarter of those surveyed have poor mental well-being, and over one in ten are at high risk of burnout."
Maas calls the results "welcome news in a sector where dropout and outflow are increasing." Investing in green appears to be a promising strategy to keep care workers healthy and employable. "Everyone in the Netherlands depends on care at some point. If we want to keep it accessible and of quality, more attention to greenery can really make a difference." In fact, green in the workplace appears to be as strongly related to employee well-being as traditional factors such as autonomy and recognition at work.
Need high, commitment limited
Only 15.6% of those surveyed use greenery in or around the workplace every day, typically around 30 minutes a day. This contrasts sharply with the need: 85% want to use greenery more often, 80% want to work in an environment with sufficient greenery and 87% think the employer should actively encourage its use.
The researchers make recommendations to structurally embed greenery in healthcare organisations. According to the report, successful implementation requires an integral approach that brings together motivation, knowledge, culture, resources and policy.
Practical examples
Positive developments are already visible. For example, the collective De Groene GGZ - an initiative of IVN Natuureducatie and Nature For Health - now has some 25 member institutions, supported in part by the National Postcode Lottery and the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. July 2025 also saw the launch of The Green Care for the Disabled, with similar ambitions. These programmes also have a place in Collective Nature Inclusive's Agenda 2.0.
"The research results confirm what we have seen in practice for some time: nature is a valuable building block for healthy working," says Tonja van Gorp, project leader at IVN. "Healthcare institutions increasingly recognise this, and you see this reflected in numerous initiatives: from outdoor psychologists to green break areas. The movement is growing. But the step needed now is for green to become a structural part of policy. The evidence and recommendations from this study help to do that."
