Plants boost office productivity by 15 percent

Plants boost office productivity by 15 percent

Bosses looking to quickly increase productivity should ditch brainstorming meetings and instead invest in office plants, a study has found.

Greenery in offices boosts work output by 15 percent, and challenges 'the lean philosophy' which holds that stark, uncluttered buildings are best for concentration.

In experiments at two large commercial offices in the UK and The Netherlands, it was found that plants significantly increased workplace satisfaction, self-reported levels of focus, and perceived air quality.

"Simply enriching a previously Spartan space with plants served to increase productivity by 15 percent," said lead researcher Marlon Nieuwenhuis, from Cardiff University's School of Psychology.

"This conclusion is at odds with the present economic and political zeitgeist as well as with modern 'lean' management techniques, yet it nevertheless identifies a pathway to a more enjoyable, more comfortable and a more profitable form of office-based working.

"Our research suggests that investing in landscaping the office with plants will pay off through an increase in office workers' quality of life and productivity.

"It directly challenges the widely accepted business philosophy that a lean office with clean desks is more productive."

Previous studies have shown that the presence of plants can lower physiological stress, increase attention span and improve well-being.

The study, which also involved academics from the University of Exeter; the University of Groningen in The Netherlands, and the University of Queensland, Australia, studied offices over several months during which times plants were removed and added.

Professor Alex Haslam, from The University of Queensland's School of Psychology, who also co-authored the study added: "The 'lean' philosophy has been influential across a wide range of organisational domains.

"Our research questions this widespread conviction that less is more. Sometimes less is just less".

Analyses into the reasons why plants are beneficial suggests that a green office increases employees' work engagement by making them more physically, cognitively, and emotionally involved in their work.

Co-author Dr Craig Knight, from the University of Exeter, said: "Psychologically manipulating real workplaces and real jobs adds new depth to our understanding of what is right and what is wrong with existing workspace design and management.

"We are now developing a template for a genuinely smart office."

The research was published in Journal of Experimental Psychology.