5 Reasons To Add Greenery To Your Office Fitout
Part of the: Office Plants Collection
Being in and around nature benefits humans. It may appear that placing plants around the workplace is a time-consuming management task that is not worth the effort, but this is not the case. Not only since they can breathe new vitality into otherwise dead workplace settings. The advantages of having plants in the office much exceed the time it takes to water and care for them.
So, how do they improve well-being?
Plants are great mood boosters
When someone is having a bad day, it appears to affect the rest of the team. Of course, you should prioritise resolving any deeper causes, but plants can assist to lessen negative emotions.
Participants in a 1998 study reported "higher levels of mood" when they were surrounded by plants. A more recent 2010 study found the same thing: being surrounded by greenery boosts people's self-esteem and attitude.
To boost your team's exposure to greenery, place potted plants in high-traffic areas and meeting locations across your office.
Plants can play a role in improving workplace efficiency and productivity
Enhancing work productivity is at the top of the list for companies wanting to enhance the way they operate.
Tons of research on the subject has concluded that having plants in the office increases productivity while also improving wellbeing (more on wellbeing later). Both self-perceptions of performance and objective measurements of productivity improved in plant-enhanced environments.
The 'Global Impact of Biophilic Design' study also looked at studies on the impacts of biophilic design in offices in 16 different nations. It has been shown that persons who work in workplaces with vegetation and sunshine are 15% more creative.
According to the survey, "poorly-lit environments devoid of colour and nature elements dampen creativity." Aside from workplace plants, lighting and other biophilic components will assist address this by encouraging creativity in your employees.
Plants may reduce absences, sicknesses, and stress
According to studies, workspaces that include plants and aspects of nature into their office design enhance wellbeing ratings by 15% and productivity by 6% when compared to environments that do not have similar features.
There is also evidence that office plants can reduce by 25% the symptoms of ill health, such as weariness, nose and eye irritation, skin problems, and poor concentration. If you feel better at work, you are more likely to finish the day or come in at all.
It may also assist to lower stress levels. Every profession has its difficulties, but if it's excessively demanding there's just nothing in place to alleviate feelings of overload, individuals will ultimately burn out. Keeping stress levels under control is critical to job fulfilment.
Back in 2010, research conducted by the University of Technology in Sydney discovered how important plants are in the office for lowering stress as well as decreasing in other stress markers, like:
- Anxiety and stress, by 37%,
- Depression or dejection, by 58%,
- Anger or hostility by 44%, and
- Fatigue has by 38%.
Plants can help clean the office air
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), interior air pollution is frequently two to five times that of outdoor air pollution. Pollutants and chemicals can be delivered in tiny concentrations into workplace surroundings by anything from paint to carpet fibres.
According to NASA research, "low-light-requiring houseplants... demonstrated the potential for improving indoor air quality by removing trace organic pollutants from the air."
Which plants were the most effective? In NASA's study, the Florist's Chrysanthemum and Peace Lily were among the finest air-purifying plants. Other workplace plants to consider include the snake plant, spider plant, and English ivy.
The good news is that many of these plants are low-maintenance, making them attractive and easy to care for. Snake plants, in particular, require very little light and water, so they're a wonderful place to start if you're searching for the finest plants for your workplace.
Plants can aid in noise reduction
Plants may minimize the noise in a variety of ways. Sound absorption is one method. Plant components absorb sounds, such as stems, leaves, branches, and wood. Because of its higher dynamic surface area, rough bark and thick, meaty leaves are very excellent in sound absorption.
Another method for reducing sound is through deflection. When sound strikes a stone wall, it does not vibrate due to its rigidity. The sound waves are reflected off the wall and returned to the source. When sound waves strike a flexible material, the material vibrates and the waves are redirected in various directions as well as changed into other kinds of energy.
