Look around your workspace. Do you see a plant? Depending on your answer, you may not be as productive as you could be. A new study suggests that office plants increase productivity and make workers happier than those without.
The study found that adding plants to offices where there were none could increase productivity by 15%.
RELATED: The 15 Best Office Plants to Improve Indoor Air Quality at Your Workplace
The research showed office plants increase productivity and significantly increased workplace satisfaction, self-reported levels of concentration, and perceived air quality.
”Our research suggests that investing in landscaping the office with plants will pay off through an increase in office workers' quality of life and productivity.
"Although previous laboratory research pointed in this direction, our research is, to our knowledge, the first to examine this in real offices, showing benefits over the long term. It directly challenges the widely accepted business philosophy that a lean office with clean desks is more productive,“ said lead researcher Marlon Nieuwenhuis, from Cardiff University's School of Psychology.
The bottom line: There is no question office plants increase productivity and bring a host of other benefits
Looking deeper into the data suggests that a green office increases employees' work engagement by making them more physically, cognitively, and emotionally involved in their work.
Previous studies have shown that plants can lower physiological stress, increase attention span, and improve well-being. But this study is the first that shows that bringing plants into offices can improve productivity and make people feel happier at work.
Businesses should rethink their productivity, not only for the health of the employees but for the benefit of the bottom line.
