Plants Boost Productivity

It’s more important than ever to improve your mental health, how do plants do it?

Boost Productivity at Work by 15%

Scientists at the American Psychology Association conducted a study to examine the impact of indoor plants in an office space. Three field experiments were conducted in total. They compiled the effects plants had on the subjects perceptions of air quality, concentration, workplace satisfaction and productivity. We now take a very brief look at the amazing results plants have on boosting productivity in the workplace.

"What was important was that everybody could see a plant from their desk. If you are working in an environment where there's something to get you psychologically engaged you are happier and you work better"

The Green vs Lean Working Space Argument

The Lean Office

It has long been thought that a lean, tidy office is the best route to success. “A tidy desk is a tidy mind”. This sentiment has widely been held in the business community for some time. It first arose from Josiah Wedgwood in the 18th Century, and is still used today. It is still common for managers to insist that work spaces be clear of plants, pictures, souvenirs, food or anything not directly required for the job at hand. This is in attempt to streamline business operations and maximize productivity.

The Green Office

Despite the overwhelming popularity of the lean philosophy on office space management – it’s conclusions have been challenged, both within design and science. The clearest suggestion that office space would benefit from aestheitc enrichment, is the incorporation of office plants. This work was originally led by the German Bürolandschaft movement (office landscaping), pioneered by Eberhard and Wolfgang Schnelle, which sought to enrich office space with plants in the 1950s and used indoor plants and partitions to provide environmental enrichment and privacy.

So, who was the winner lean or green?

After compiling the outcomes of all 3 studies, the scientists found that the addition of plant presence within the work environment boosted productivity by a massive 15%! Not only this but workers job satisfaction and perceived concentration levels were all enhanced. If this isn’t enough for you to fill your office space with our indoor plants, we don’t know what is.

"The 'lean' philosophy has been influential across a wide range of organisational domains. Our research questions this widespread conviction that less is more. Sometimes less is just less."