8 Benefits of Having Plants In Your Office

If you ever consider office space as more than just a box of rooms, you will see how it has a lot of effect on one's inside. The idea is that space is a powerful tool that can inspire, nurture engagement, and drive worker productivity. But is it enough to have a comfy interior or a high-end gadget and interior? Surprisingly, it is not. You might want to consider adding plants. 

It is human nature that people tend to have a connection with nature. Scientists call the term biophilia. Alongside other design elements in your office space, having plants can nurture a better working environment. There are a lot of options to choose from, such as vertical gardens, courtyards, or indoor plants. Here are the benefits of having plants you got to learn. 

The Advantages Of A Little Green In The Office

1. Increase Productivity 

One of the most important in office life is productivity. While it is undoubtedly that worker productivity is affected by many things, having plants will be the easiest to achieve. You can pay attention to the gadget, devices, computer, interior, or office room layout, but a few plants can also bring benefits to the productivity rate. 

You don't need to add big plants to the room. All you have to do is take care, add a little splash of green leaves, and a refreshing look every few meters. So, how can it benefit the worker? Plants are indeed small green additions in the room, but the new decoration element can give such changes for the office and work environment.  

So, the idea goes to the ability to improve memory retention. Research in 2014 by the University of Exeter found out that the benefits of having plants are a 15% increase in employee productivity. The idea and information are even far from the high-end vertical garden or fancy-looking pot flower plants. 

It only happens from the simple handful of houseplants in the office. The benefits are to stir the work environment from the lean boring situation to a more nurturing and engaging area. One of the researchers, Dr. Chris Knight, also mentioned that having plants every square meter helps increase the employer memory test. He even states that only one green is enough. 

Supposedly the idea highlights that the vital point is to ensure every employee can see the plants from their desk. Thus, one of the benefits will appear as engaging their psychological welfare. At the end of the day, the worker can work better while feeling happier. If one feels happy and enjoys the office work environment, then the productivity rate will soar. 

But again, the benefits of having plants are merely one small addition to your working environment. A working office should suffice all the worker needs, including furniture, gadgets, software and many more. So, the vital point of productivity is fulfilling the worker's needs, both physically and psychologically.  

2. Boost Creativity 

One of the benefits that have an indirect effect on working production and emotional welfare is to boost creativity. When you are designing or working in an office that has natural green plants, it exudes the sense of inviting and opening creative thinking. There are times that people feel bored and tired with a stagnant environment, thus having plants will change it. 

The main idea underlying the benefits goes to the fact that a small splash of green in the office will liven up the space. The new spark or the new inviting sensation is the reason how people can think creatively. The assumption was also backed up by a report made by Human Space in 2015. The report highlights how the benefits increase the creativity rate. 

The report also states that people working inside an office room with plants have more than 15% more creativity than those who don't. If you think further, the natural element is not a mere decoration. It does add points in the rooms, environment and increases the overall interior design. But, having plants also help take care of attention restoration. 

Attention restoration is a theory that pinpoints the connection between nature and humans. It highlights how the image stimulates the worker's brain to work in different processing modes. The benefits will make employees see or think about the work in a different manner. Thus, drive creative thinking during work. 

The benefits highly relate to how to avoid boredom and block. If you are a business owner that works under creative business, having plants can make a more relaxing atmosphere. It is also believed that averting attention from computers and looking at the natural element will stir your brain to make different ways of thinking. Thus, boosting concentration and creativity. 

3. Reduce Noise Level 

One of many benefits of having plants that are probably never thought out before is the reducing noise level. When talking about office rooms, many will try to optimize the working situation. Either by giving the high-end equipment, comfy furniture, or amazing layout and interior design. However, noise often builds from many sources. 

In this case, noise pollution can hinder the working progress and slow down production. At some point, the disturbance might stall your employee brain to think creatively and work as they are supposed to be. The good news is one of the benefits of green plants inside rooms is nose reduction. It has many ways to reduce noise and make a more comfortable office. 

So, how do the benefits work? One of the ways the natural green element reduces noise is by sound absorption. The plants' parts such as leaves, branches, stems, wood, and many more can absorb sound. The fleshy leaves or the rough and thick bark not only add a lush green office focal point. But they also absorb sound on their dynamic surface area. 

Another way how having plants can reduce noise is the sound wave refraction. The lush green and unsolid surface will refract the sound waves. Thus, the sound echo will naturally disappear. The idea is not far too different from having a carpeted floor in the office room. The room will have less noise compared to the solid floor made out of tile. 

The same idea for the benefits comes from the plants' ability to deflect noises. It is another answer how the natural element in the office gives a lot of benefits for employees. One of the best explanations is that a flexible surface will transform the original sound waves and deflect them in other directions. 

Meanwhile, a solid wall will only reflect the sound wave to the same source. It makes the echoes get bigger, which later makes the room sound loud with noises. Having plants will reduce the distracting effect of the noise in the office, whether it was chatter, printing noise, to typing sounds. 

However, to get the ranges of benefits of having plants, you need to consider the amount of the element. It is said that the number of the natural element, the size, and the position help elevate the benefits. In this case, the best idea to use the natural decoration is using larger plants, placing them in office corners, and using them in multiple locations.  

4. Replenish Attentions  

The benefits that relate to employee productivity will be their attention and focus. One thing that underlines the idea goes to the term of dramatic stimuli. Dramatic stimuli refer to the distraction that tends to require urgent attention. It is directed attention that you need to avoid, which certainly has a dramatic effect on one performance. 

In this case, having plants benefits is shifting your dramatic stimuli in the office work. Even though the in-office environment stimuli are not distracting, it has a similar effect to many more dramatic distractions. Some of the best examples are email or urgent requests in the office. It can create an immediate top-down effect on one productivity. 

The good news is that one of many benefits of having plants is a modest distraction. It means that the natural element has many intriguing stimuli that grab people's attention in a more bottom-up fashion. In other words, it helps replenish attention without getting carried to it. You can imagine how diverting your attention to your phone might turn into procrastination.

When it comes to natural elements such as a walled garden or a small succulent pot on the desk, it will replenish your capacity to focus and pay attention. The surprising benefits were part of research by the University of Michigan. It underlines the fact that a single attention grabber moment can help employees to shift their focus. 

It works the same as the creativity and productivity benefits. The little nature component in the office is a proper distraction item for your worker. It will help them to go back to your initial attention as well as focus. Thus, you got to work better. The idea also highlights that the benefits can be found even in a small number of items, which include nature painting.  

5. An Attractive Addition 

One of the most obvious benefits of having plants is the attractive point. It is safe to say that the green element was part of the interior and furniture design. The range of options helps designers to make the best pick for the office goal or theme. That is why a well-designed office room will fulfill all the employee's needs. 

The use of greenies in the office is also one of the indicators of how a natural element is needed for a better working environment. A surprising discovery was found by a 2015 human spaces report. It tells that the benefits of nature are not only about adding plants. Natural light and other natural elements are vital factors of office work location. 

The best option to incorporate nature is by using a biophilic design. It is a room design that is inspired by nature, including having plants, natural light, and open windows. The idea goes to the fact that there are almost one in five offices that do not have those criteria in their room design. It includes more than 50% of employees working under no natural light. 

The doomed number can affect a worker's first impression of the office. It said that most job applicants pay attention to workplace design, which affects the decision to join or stay in the company. It tells how the benefits can indirectly affect the employment rates. If you want to make recruits stay longer, a great number of plants might increase your office attractiveness. 

One thing that also supports the idea is the range of options. You can get the benefits of having plants in many ways. By adding small little cacti, succulents, or wall garden will elevate your room design greatly. Again, it does not have to be a big addition. Potted flowers, a serene garden, and calming green landscape outside the office might help you boost the worker's impression.  

6. Reducing Stress 

No one wants to get stressed working under a concrete block without anything to distract you. In this case, adding plants will give you more benefits. In stress management, a small nature element in the office is the primary role. All your high-end furniture or sophisticated decoration might not do much compared to the green. 

How so? There is one study in 2010 by the University of Technology Sydney that found how office greeneries can reduce stress. One of the reasons for the benefits is the calming and relaxing effect of the proponent color. Color psychology says that green is not only helping to decorate offices but also has similar benefits or effects for workers.

The research indicates that adding plants in the office results in 37% stress, anxiety, and tension reduction. It can reduce 38% of fatigue and reach a 44% rate reduction of workers having hostility and anger. The best conclusion that you can take is that it can help elevate worker spirits. Thus, it supports the performance and wellbeing benefits. 

Another unique intake of the benefits of having plants is doubling as friends. It was said by Canadian engineer Mike Robinson through his TEDxWhiteRock conference that office greenery can heighten the sense of accountability. The idea underlines that having a plants friend help worker to pay more attention and reduce their stress level. 

7. Cleanse The Room Air 

It is one of the big misconceptions that office plants can purify the air. While it does not true, greeneries do absorb carbon dioxide. Some research also indicates that having plants can reduce carbon dioxide levels by around 10 – 25%. Of course, the benefits can help a lot in office life since humans need oxygen to think clearly. 

Another benefits discovery also highlights that the office greenies are the focal factor of absorbing other harmful chemicals in the air. Smell and chemicals such as trichloroethylene, benzene, and formaldehyde, are bound to be found in the office or workplace. Thus, adding plants will cleanse the air for humans to breathe. 

As one of the benefits of having plants, it is also important to underline that the effect depends on the type and size of the natural element. Palms are the best. However, you can also work around with any type of plant. It does not matter whether you use medium or small-sized green. The idea is still the same, and your office will feel or look different.  

8. Lessen The Risk Of Sickness 

Since the room has clear air, you can breathe optimum oxygen and boost your brain work. At the same time, a clear mind leads to a healthy body. Adding plants in your office room is like killing a bird with one stone. Some of the benefits are you can purify the air, have a positive distraction, stress relief, and mood booster simultaneously. 

When you put all of the benefits together, the primary effect is avoiding the chance of sickness. Indoor air pollution is something that we hardly notice. The lack of oxygen and stuffy air might as well make workers feel sick or down. However, underline that indoor greens do very little to clean or purify the office air. 

In other words, it is safe to say that having plants cannot save you from any virus or air pollution. However, it is better to highlight how the office addition brings benefits for workers' mental or psychological wellbeing. As said in many previous points, plants can reduce stress, provide attraction, and also boost creativity. 

The range of benefits of having plants indicates how employees with a happy, engaged, and energized nature will have a better health condition. Avoiding stress and being happy reduces the chance of getting down or, worse, hitting some malicious sickness. It is also worth noting that some health issues can start from work strain, stress, and problematic office environments.  

Conclusion

Adding little tiny plants can change the whole room completely. In-office, having pants helps the worker's mind and comfort inside the room. It also helps to circulate the room air and lessen the risk of sickness. At the later stage, all goes back to the worker's productivity, creativity, and mental. That is why the benefits are priceless.