8 Reasons to add Plants to your Workplace

Did you know that adding plants to your office can improve physical and psychological wellbeing in an extremely cost effective way.  While most of us think that flowers and greenery look good and improve the office cosmetically, there are even greater benefits to be realised.

How Plants In Your Workplace Help With Wellbeing

1. Reduces stress: Plants reduced tension/ anxiety by 37% and depression/dejection by 58%, creating a more comfortable and relaxed environment (New University of Technology Sydney).
2. Reduces illness and absence: Plants decreased the frequency of dry skin, colds, sore throats and dry coughs (Agricultural University of Norway). Other studies have shown a reduction in absenteeism by up to 50% and minor illness by 30%.
3. Reduces indoor pollution: Inside air pollutants (coming from furnishings, upholstery, pollen’s, bacteria and mould) can be 10 x more polluted than outdoor air. Plants can reduce this, particularly gases such as formaldehyde (a known carcinogen found in cleaning products, toilet paper and paper towels), benzene and nitrogen dioxide.
4. Improves memory and concentration: As plants give off oxygen they help improve sleep. Research has also shown that plants at work aided concentration, productivity and wellbeing by 47% (University of Exeter) as well as increasing memory retention up to 20% (University of Michigan).
5. Assists with breathing: Plants release oxygen and absorb CO2.  Research shows by introducing a ratio of 1 plant per 3 employees, CO2 can be reduced by 50% and dust levels by 20%.
6. Improve creativity: Texas A&M University found an increase in innovative thinking, creative performance and problem solving with the presence of plants and flowers in the workplace. Men generated 15% more ideas while women came up with more creative solutions to problems.  Research at Exeter University found that when staff were allowed to make design decisions in an office with plants creativity increased by 45%.
7. Improves happiness and workplace satisfaction: Research conducted in the late 70’s by Harvard University found that happiness was greater amongst those they asked to care for a plant as opposed to those that didn’t and Exeter and Cardiff universities identified that introducing plants into the office improves workplace satisfaction by up to 40%.
8. Reduces noise:  Plants have the ability to reduce ambient noise within an office by as much as 5 decibels enabling employees to concentrate on their work.

What are the best plants to have?

NASA began studying houseplants in the late 1980s as a means of providing purer and cleaner air for space stations. Their research identified the top 10 flora that helped improve indoor air quality were: