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
