Jane Fisher, Founder of Fresh Perspectives North East, believes workplace culture can't shift while people stay stuck behind a desk.
“Outdoors gives people the space the modern workplace takes away – a moment where stress softens, focus returns and connections rebuild.”
“There’s a conversation I’m frequently having with leaders,” Jane says.
“That their people are fatigued, stretched, distracted and disconnected. They sense something deeper is amiss – and they’re right. It’s the working culture.”
For Jane, who follows the research closely, the evidence that working culture needs to change, is inescapable.
The Culture Crisis
“There’s a point where the data stops being interesting and starts becoming alarming,” she explains.
“Only one in ten UK employees is actively engaged at work, costing the economy £293 billion a year. An average of 49.7 working days per employee are lost each year to stress, ill health and presenteeism. Burnout is rising fastest among younger colleagues, and with only 73% of permanent staff reporting job satisfaction, retention pressures are rising.”
Recent research also shows that most wellbeing apps and workshops make no meaningful difference to employee wellbeing or job satisfaction – reinforcing that activity alone cannot fix a faulty working environment.
“Businesses have poured billions into low-impact interventions and support that arrives only once the stress has taken hold,” Jane reveals. “They’re wellintentioned, but often reactive, superficial – and too late. They don’t address the working environment or the systemic issues driving burnout in the first place. Hence, we need to change the structure and culture of work.”
In fact, evidence shows that early intervention and systemic redesign deliver the highest ROI: £4.70 to £11.00 for every £1 spent.
“We can’t solve today’s business challenges with yesterday’s workplace culture.”
Culture Needs Space
For Jane, this is the turning point.
“Culture is shaped in the everyday experience of work, not in the add-ons around it. So, when the environment stays the same, how can we expect the problems to shift?”
“Today’s workplaces are ever more demanding, static and cognitively relentless. So, this isn’t an employee resilience issue. It’s a culture design one.”
Jane believes outdoor working is the simplest and most powerful shift businesses can make: a Hybrid-Plus model that intentionally includes outdoor time as part of how work gets done.
“When we step outside, even briefly, the brain resets. Stress reduces. Attention improves. Ideas flow. Problems unravel. Connections deepen,” she explains. “It’s a performance tool for everyone – not a perk.”
“Just ten to thirty minutes outdoors, built into normal work routines, is all that’s needed. Walking meetings, outdoor thinking breaks, reflective 1-2-1s, team catchups in town parks, city boulevards and river walks. Small step changes with big impact,” Jane adds.
Making it a Habit
“Organisations that adopt Hybrid-Plus working see the benefits at three levels,” Jane enthuses.
“People feel more energised, more focused and more in control. Teams reconnect, communicate more openly and solve problems more easily. Businesses experience greater employee engagement, sharper productivity and stronger staff retention.”
And that’s the idea behind The Fresh Perspective 90-Day Challenge, designed to fast-track leaders and their teams towards developing the Outdoors Habit, with Jane as their guide.
“Many of the world’s most progressive businesses are already getting outdoors,” Jane explains. “And I believe that within the next five to ten years, all forward-looking organisations will spend at least 20 percent of their working week outdoors – habitually.”
“This Challenge gives leaders and their people the chance to experience, with ease, the real impact of taking work outdoors.”
To find out more about Fresh Perspectives NE, and the 90-Day Challenge, contact Jane on 07837 024 374 or email at hello@fpne.co.uk
www.fpne.co.uk