There are a number of steps you can take to make your office greener and more sustainable. But while they can help reduce your energy costs and your company’s ecological footprint, solar panels and a more efficient HVAC system have little direct impact on your employees. Is there any way going green can also improve morale around the workplace?

As it turns out, there is. It’s called biophilic design, and it can bring the best of the outdoors into your indoor office environment. Making a space seem more natural and less artificial has been shown to have a significant positive impact on how people feel when they’re in it. For example, this principle has been found to improve student learning in schools and patient recovery times in hospitals. This is because adding natural elements to those institutional settings makes people feel calmer and more relaxed.

Perhaps best of all, incorporating biophilic design into your workplace is relatively easy. One of the best ways to achieve it is by using materials such as wood, stone and perforated metal. This creates a more naturalistic and interesting interior. Maximizing the amount of sunlight that enters also can have a profound effect on the mood in your office.

When thinking about creating a green office building, don’t underestimate the importance of biophilic design. It can deliver results that you won’t see on your utility bill, but will be obvious in the faces of your staff and customers. For more information about putting this principle into action, see the accompanying infographic.

Author bio: Roni Cohen is a third-generation family member of Accurate Perforating. He started in a sales role and has developed into Director of Marketing. Roni and his brother, Daniel, are looking to lead the company into the next generation.