Communication, Employee Morale and Teamwork Take Root in a Vegetable Garden

Many companies around the United States are turning to vegetable gardens to improve communication, employee morale and teamwork. Strange training tool you may be thinking. Let’s take a closer look. 

A small business owner in Bloomington, IN invested a few hundred dollars to start a vegetable garden in the yard of their office building. As a result, interesting things have happened.   

1. The employees have a common goal with overwhelming participation.   

2. The dynamics of their office hierarchy have disappeared. As the project began, the team quickly discovered some administrative people who may not be well-educated are teaching the CEO about soil, rainy weather and bean sprouts.  Ego’s are checked at the gate of the garden.     

3. Communication skills are polished. Communication plays a key role in the garden because the  team has to agree on what vegetables to plant, the size of the garden, the purchase of supplies, how to best prepare the soil, plant the seeds and nurture the ground. Regardless of the responsibility or salary of the employees, some simply had more experience in certain areas.  The team discussed, negotiated and listened.

4. Each person has ongoing responsibilities to ensure the success of the garden. They developed schedules for watering, soil maintenance and picking the vegetables. More communication, negotiation and flexibility.

5. Someone keeps track of the vegetables that are grown and given to each employee. The reason for this is linked to the recession. Employees began reviewing their grocery receipts and have been able to determine how much money they save each week and month by not having to purchase items such as tomato, basil, peppers, squash and eggplant. A periodic cost analysis is done. They wanted to see their Return on Investment.  

To me, the ROI is priceless. The garden is so much more than vegetables.Relationships have been enriched. The mindset of improved communication, morale and teamwork extends beyond the garden and back into the office.

Human resource experts agree with one entrepreneur in Minneapolis who started a garden for his 30 employees. He said it has created a “water cooler effect” and a sense of real camaraderie. Yes, we do need communication skills for water cooler talk. 

You may want to suggest a vegetable garden for your company or department. Not only will you look like a creative genius, you will be planting  positive seeds for success.

(Photo Credit: Shelley & Dave)

Tagged as: CEO, Communication, employee morale, garden, Relationships, Success, teamwork, training, vegetables