Greenery in the work place increases productivity by 15%

A recently conducted study has shown that putting plants in an office increases the productivity of workers.

Psychologists found that introducing greenery into a workplace environment translated into a 15% rise in the output of employees.

There had been an improvement in staff concentration and the air, as well as an increase in staff satisfaction. Plants provide cleaner air as their foliage absorbs pollutants, dusts and bugs that are in the air.

“Data from the present findings indicate that a green working environment is consistently more enjoyable for employees, more conducive to concentration, and more productive for the business than its lean equivalent,” the study reported. “Indeed, simply enriching a previously spartan space with plants served to increase productivity by 15%.”

Marlon Nieuwenhuis, a lead researcher from Cardiff University’s School of Psychology said, “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.” He added, “It directly challenges the widely accepted business philosophy that a lean office with clean desks is more productive.”

Scientist believe that plants’ biology could be a direct link for the wellbeing of a worker. Other studies have found that a number of potted plants in an office environment can have an impact on the reduction of the number of sick days taken by employees.

An alternative theory claims that plants make for a more pleasant work environment, in the most part because employers are sending out the impression that they are making an investment to their employees’ welfare.

“Psychologically manipulating real workplaces and real jobs adds new depth to our understanding of what is right and what is wrong with existing workspace design and management,” says Dr Craig Knight, who also worked on the study, University of Exeter. “We are now developing a template for genuinely smart office.”

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