Adding interior plants to the office is one of the biggest office design trends to look out for in 2018, offering businesses a simultaneously natural and beautiful addition to their office interior.
Plants and greenery are known to affect the overall well-being of employees, providing you with the incentive you need to purchase plants for your office this summer.
The Environment Agency estimates that some people spend up to 90% of their time indoors. By incorporating plant life into the design of your workspace, your staff will be able to enjoy the beauty of nature inside, as well as the many physical and psychological benefits that come with having office plants.
Here we look at the top 5 benefits of having plants in the office. Let’s begin!
1. VISUAL BENEFITS
One of the top benefits of having plants in the office; they look great. Not only do they bring various rich shades of green to the workplace, they also provide the visually-meditative experience that can ultimately lead to happier and healthier employees that are more productive.
Providing the office plants offer customers and employees a visually enhanced perception of the workspace, it’s clear that having plants in the office can have obvious visual benefits. An office full of vibrant greenery can also portray a positive brand image to visitors, if you welcome members of the public inside.
1. VISUAL BENEFITS
One of the top benefits of having plants in the office; they look great. Not only do they bring various rich shades of green to the workplace, they also provide the visually-meditative experience that can ultimately lead to happier and healthier employees that are more productive.
Providing the office plants offer customers and employees a visually enhanced perception of the workspace, it’s clear that having plants in the office can have obvious visual benefits. An office full of vibrant greenery can also portray a positive brand image to visitors, if you welcome members of the public inside.
2. STRESS REDUCTION
Studies have shown that having indoor plants in the home or office can reduce stress levels, especially in working environments. Researchers found that blood pressure levels were lower when plants were present in the office, than when they weren’t. Participants in such studies have also reported to having felt more attentive when working in an office environment containing plants. Other studies from around the globe have also provided evidence that stress is reduced when employees are working with plants surrounding them, which can improve productivity in some cases.
3. REDUCTION IN NOISE LEVELS
Strategically placed plants can help to reduce noise pollution in the office, stealing the concept from outdoor plants and trees which are often used to reduce noise pollution along motorways and busy roads. Plants in the office can help to reduce reverberation time, meaning the prolongation of sounds in the office are lessened.
Placing plants in areas near to hard surfaces, such as hardwood floors, concrete walls and wooden desks, will effectively help to reduce noise levels in the workplace. This will, in turn, help to prevent distraction and maintain productivity levels.
4. AIR CLEANSING
Having real plants in the office can help to improve the air quality by getting rid of harmful pollutants. Modern-day offices tend to have what we call ‘sealed air’, meaning they can contain up to ten times more pollutants than the outdoor air. Common pollutants which can become trapped inside include mould, formaldehyde, dust mites, carbon monoxide and chemical cleaning agents that your cleaner may have used. The right plants will help to remove these pollutants from the air, injecting and circulating healthy oxygen around the room.
Plants can also help to stabilise humidity levels inside, with some indoor plants also proven to reduce the symptoms of ‘sick building syndrome’ or SBS.
5. THE NEED FOR NATURE
In the 1984 book, ‘Biophilia’, written by Harvard Biologist, E.O. Wilson, proposed that humans will naturally tend to affiliate with nature and other life-forms. Since then, the term ‘Biophilia’ has been commonly used to describe our need as humans to associate with nature.
If we, as humans, have an internal desire to associate with nature, it’s only natural that we surround ourselves with as much nature as possible; either outside or inside the office when working.
