Green Benefits of Plants In The Office

Everyone knows that plants can help to brighten up an office by bringing a splash of colour whether it’s a simple cactus, some small flowers or even just a casual house plant. But there are also more subtle benefits for workers themselves. In this article we look at just some of these benefits that should definitely be considered by employers.

Higher Productivity

Productivity should always be considered one of the most important factors when considering changes to the office. It should be a welcome relief to anyone wanting to add plants into their office that there is evidence that plants help to increase productivity compared to environments with no plants.

A study by psychologists in 2014 saw experiments being conducted in the Netherlands and the UK in large commercial offices. The aim of the experiments were to examine what the impact of ‘lean’, offices with minimal decoration, and ‘green’ offices were on the perceptions of air quality, concentration and workplace satisfaction along with aiming to see how it affected productivity.

The conclusion of the study was that when ‘lean’ workplaces added a few houseplants, the productivity increased by 15%. So more plants in the office can mean that more work is done!

Clean Air

One of the most important jobs for plants themselves is the production of oxygen and also removing pollutants from the air. As anyone who has worked in an office building will know, the air quality is never the best. Most offices rely on air conditioning to circulate air around which can result in lots of pollutants that can make employees sick.

By introducing plants into the office, the air quality levels will improve as the plants work to remove pollutants and CO2, making it a cleaner environment to work in. They can also help to stabilise the humidity levels in offices so there is less need for air conditioning which can result in healthier employees!

Reduced Stress

There have also been many studies that have been conducted that show that the presence of indoor plants can also help to reduce the stress levels in the workplace. A study in Australia found that staff who had plants put into their office had stress levels and negative feelings reduced by 30 to 60% compared to those with no plants.

In fact, those with no plants saw increased levels of stress and negativity of 20 to 40% over 3 months. The addition of plants into a workplace can be seen to make the environment more interesting and relaxing to employees which can mean less stressful working for them.

Reduced Noise

Most people may not realise this, but plants are an excellent way to help reduce noise levels in a large variety of environments. You may notice sometimes that trees or hedges are planted along the edges of fences in gardens or along motorways, That is because plants make a natural barrier that helps to reduce the amount of noise pollution.

It can work the same way in offices – just don’t expect all noise to be cancelled out. They simply help to absorb noises which can potentially help to increase productivity in the office by reducing the amount of noise distractions.

Do You Have Plants In The Office?

Why not let us know if you have plants in the office and whether or not you feel their benefits? We’d love to hear from you!