Why You Should Have Plants in the Workplace

How your office is styled can really make or break your employees’ work days. Is there a lot of natural light? Do you have a break room where workers can destress? Here’s one item you should definitely include in your workplace’s decor: Plants. Here’s why:

They Enhance Productivity
Employees perform better when plants are added to workplaces, according to The Guardian. Psychologists from Exter University have been studying this issue for 10 years. They concluded that workers are 15 percent more productive when the office contains even a couple of houseplants. These employees actively engage with their surroundings and are overall better workers. The key is making sure that each worker can see a plant from his or her desk.

They Reduce Absence
Employees can be absent from work for a number of reasons, including blocked sinuses, skin irritation, headaches, dry throats and more. Because many offices lack outdoor ventilation and natural light, plants can improve the cleanliness of the air and atmosphere. Therefore, plant decor can decrease absence from the workplace.

They Create a Better Work Environment
The styling of an employee’s desk is essential to a positive work environment. Encourage your employees to bring in personal items like picture frames of their family and friends, fresh flowers or air fresheners. That way, your workers will feel more at home and overall much happier.

Plus, do what you can to add a little personalization to their workplaces. For example, give your employees business cards to keep on their desks or door hangers for the workers with offices. The more comfortable that everyone is in the office, the better the culture will be.

Recently, FreeOfficeFinder published the following relevant infographic. Their article focuses on productivity but their visualization is a great summary of the topic that we covered here in this article.