How Companies Can Intervene to Transform Workplace Health
by Sebastien Ash, Hannah Murphy and Hasan Chowdhury
Originally posted on Financial Times
Timberland’s Victory Garden started as a small plot in the front yard of its headquarters in New Hampshire in 2008. Today, it consists of four large raised beds where, each season, green-fingered staff produce hundreds of kilos of fresh produce and flowers.
While giving employees at the US clothing manufacturer and retailer the opportunity to volunteer and spend time outdoors, the organic fruit and vegetables produced in the garden are also sold to staff — and in the company café — and the proceeds donated to a local charity.
“A large part of why VF Corporation [Timberland’s owner] chose to invest in wellness initiatives at both a global and brand level is the return on investment for the company and culture,” says Beth Reichl, human resources business partner at Timberland.
In the case of the Victory Garden, $15,000 has been raised for the local food bank since its first harvest. At the same time, staff have had the opportunity to use ingredients from the garden in quarterly cooking workshops with the company chef. When it comes to healthy eating, education is crucial, employers such as Timberland argue.
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