Wellbeing At Work

Hold a meeting or a workplace health promotion day in the forest

Even just a short stay in a forest has a positive impact on mood, concentration, and stress. It is therefore a good idea to empower your team by heading for a forest on your next workplace health promotion day. In Häme, nature and forests are present almost everywhere. Splendid national parks, urban parks, the Ilvesreitti nature trail and the nearby forests await you and your colleagues. More than two million people live about an hour away from Kanta-Häme. The area is an ideal destination for work teams that would like to increase their wellbeing at work.

The flipchart in the meeting room does not inspire anyone to think about matters from a new perspective. Go to a forest with your colleagues and experience its calming and inspiring power! Forests have a positive effect on us both physically and mentally. According to several studies, even just a short stay in nature has a positive impact on our mood, self-esteem, self-knowledge, concentration, and stress.

If you find going to a forest too bold, start by holding your team meetings outdoors in the national urban parks of Forssa or Hämeenlinna. The national urban park in Forssa meanders in the vicinity of the lovely Wahren’s Park at Kehräämö, founded in the mid-1800s, and along the River Loimijoki. In the national urban park of Hämeenlinna, you can admire the scenery of Lake Aulangonjärvi and Lake Vanajavesi. There are services available near both urban parks, so you do not even need to take a packed lunch with you when you visit them.

If you have suitable footwear and bring a packed lunch, you can head for the magnificent nature sites outside the cities. The region has two national parks: Torronsuo and Liesjärvi. Torronsuo is the deepest mire in Finland that can be navigated along nice duckboards. You can fry sausages and other camping food at the campfire site. If you climb up to the observation tower, you can see the breath-taking scenery of the entire Torronsuo, as if you were in Lapland. Liesjärvi is a compact national park located by Highway 2, but still far from everything. Its nature trails twist and turn in the forest and lake landscape. Both national parks are perfect destinations for trips during workplace health promotion days.

On the Ilvesreitti trail in Häme, your team can walk a short route, or a longer route. If you want to hike for a few hours, you can walk around Melkutin, a lake located near Räyskälä Airport in Loppi. Melkutin is also a favourite destination for divers, as its water is very clear and tempting for a swim! It’s a good idea to also take your swimming gear with you to the meeting.

You can also add a variety of nature activities to your workplace health promotion day in the forest. For example, try yoga in the forest, paddling or stand-up paddleboarding. In Loppi, you can book a lake for your team for the day, and glide on its waves on board the sauna boat Jalolautta. After a shorter health promotion day or a meeting in a forest, your team will certainly be hungry, and it will be time to head for one of the restaurants in Häme. If your health promotion day has been a longer one, you may need a good night’s sleep, in which case you should book the accommodation in advance. The magnificent manors and other unique accommodation possibilities in Häme offer great opportunities for an overnight stay. Or why not even stay in a cottage in nature at the end of the health promotion day!

Increase workplace wellbeing by holding your next workplace health promotion day or team meeting in a forest at one of the nature sites in Häme!