An office enriched with plants makes staff happier and boosts productivity by 15 per cent, a University of Queensland researcher has found.
The study is the first of its kind to assess the long-term impacts of plants in an office environment.
Co-authored by Professor Alex Haslam from UQ’s School of Psychology, the study found that adding plants to an office also improved employee satisfaction and quality of life.
Professor Haslam said a green office helps employees to be more physically, mentally and emotionally involved in their work.
“Office landscaping helps the workplace become a more enjoyable, comfortable and profitable place to be,” he said.
“It appears that in part this is because a green office communicates to employees that their employer cares about them and their welfare.
“Employees from previously lean office environments experienced increased levels of happiness, resulting in a more effective workplace.”
The study was conducted in partnership with researchers from Cardiff University, the University of Exeter and the University of Groningen.
The research team examined the impact ‘lean’ versus ‘green’ office space has on employees from two large commercial offices in the UK and the Netherlands.
The team monitored staff productivity levels over a two-month period, and employees were surveyed to determine perceptions of air quality, concentration, and workplace satisfaction.
“Employees were more satisfied with their workplace and reported increased concentration levels and better perceived air quality in an office with plants,” Professor Haslam said.
The findings are in stark contrast to established beliefs that a lean office is more productive.
Ambius head of innovation, Kenneth Freeman, who was involved in the study said plants increase attention span and improve well-being. "This is the first long term experiment carried out in a real-life situation which shows that bringing plants into offices can improve well-being and make people feel happier at work,"he said.
"Businesses should rethink their lean processes, not only for the health of the employees, but for the financial health of the organisation."
The study is published today in the Journal of Experimental Psychology.