Lean & Green
By Elva Perez, Account Specialist
If you can’t tell already from my last Blog post about plants, and this one about plants, then I’ll just come out and say it. I’m clearly the “crazy plant lady” in the office. This is the first career that I’ve gotten my own working space to make my own. Of course, as the crazy plant lady, the first thing I did was bring in plants to put on my desk. I function better if my area closely resembles a mini growing jungle. My colleagues who walk by really appreciate the beauty and let me know that it’s pure joy seeing the greenery. It brings them peace (and more oxygen) to their day!
I’ve been with RISQ Consulting for about 6 months now, and one of the many things I am learning about is the concept of being “Lean”. While Lean has nothing to do with plants directly, I definitely believe that plants have everything to do with helping you BE Lean. Here is a great read I found about being “lean and green” in your work environment.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140901090735.htm
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Why You Can’t Afford to Ignore Nature in The Workplace
By Angela Baker, Employee Benefits Account Manager
When I started my working life, the only plants in the office were the occasional dusty, limp palm. In recent years it seems as if every new office, café, and public building has a green wall. The research shows this is not just another office design fad. There is a budding business case for bringing a plethora of flora into the office, in terms of reduced costs, increased employee wellbeing, and happiness.
Studies have shown that simply adding some greenery in the form of indoor plants can have major positive benefits for employees and their organizations. The same goes for remote or home workers, too.
Why does having a plant in the office increase productivity? The answer is simple:
People like plants.
We enjoy being among nature. Humans have an innate desire to be connected with the natural world, which scientists call “Biophilia”. Unfortunately, the spaces we tend to spend most of our days in – workplaces – tend to be weeded of much of this connection to the natural environment. Some workplaces can feel sterile and subconsciously unsettling.
Office plants help to bridge the gap between the green environment we crave and the utilitarian commercial setting. Plants make your office feel more like a place your employees would enjoy being in, such as a garden.
When our RISQ Consulting employee benefits office relocated last year all the office plants were lined up in the new office for the taking. Everyone was calling dibs on plans for their desk, and it was like diving for the hot new toy for Christmas. Not quite that crazy, but close! Good thing we all like each other.
I found this great article (below) from the BBC website that really took root in my mind. Check out why you shouldn’t shrug at shrubs, or frown at ferns! Learn why showering your workspace with flowers will help your productivity grow.
https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20161125-why-you-cant-afford-to-ignore-nature-in-the-workplace
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Plants and Productivity
By Elva Perez, Account Specialist
Have you ever walk into someone’s home or office and see they have beautiful greenery and wished you had a green thumb?
Below is a list of the top ten plants that require little attention but have great benefits to have around your home or office:
- Snake Plant
- African Violet
- English Ivory
- ZZ plant
- Aloe
- Philodendron
- Oxalis
- Rex Begonia
- Tillandsia (air plant)
- Lucky Bamboo
House plants do more than just look pretty, there are numerous health benefits as well. They can help reduce stress, sharpen your attention, are therapeutic, can allow you to recover from illness faster, boost your productivity, improve your whole outlook on work, and improve air quality.
According to this Heathline article
“Multiple studies have found that plants in the workspace increase both productivity and creativity. One frequently cited study from 1996 found that students in a campus computer lab worked 12 percent faster and were less stressed when plants were placed nearby.
In a 2004 study, researchers challenged people to make creative word associations. They performed better when a plant was in the room with them.
And a 2007 study, showed that people with more plants in their workspace took fewer sick days and were more productive on the job.”
For the past 10 years I have been working on turning my home into a mini jungle. Every day, I walk into my house and I instantly feel the fresh air in my lungs and can’t help but feel stress-free!
- Published in Blog