If you work in an office, have you ever considered what you could do to make the space a little more visually appealing? There are a lot of options to beautify your office.
People usually start by considering things such as mirrors, pictures and maybe even paintings or sculptures, but what you should really be thinking about are plants and flowers, especially the indoor ones.
It’s not just a way to jazz things up visually, but plants can also bring various physical and psychological benefits to the office and all of your colleagues.
Placing plants in your office space is not just a capricious way of doing things in the office. In fact, it is even been backed up by science, with studies from Exeter University and various other institutes around the world suggesting that plants can help to aid with things such as productivity and creativity.
The guys at Flowercard personalised greetings have produced an interesting infographic which breaks down ten reasons why your office could benefit from plants and flowers.
For example, did you know that plants could actually help to reduce stress in the workplace?
It’s hardly rocket science, but having plants in your work space simply makes it a much calmer and more relaxing place to be, and a study showed that a number of negative feelings such as tension, depression, and fatigue were all reduced when plants were present.
You know too well that when the Xerox machine malfunctions or someone you don’t like gets on your nerves, you tend to blow your top off. Do you know that plants can also help deal with anger management? Having plants in your office can reduce your anger or hostility by as much as 44%. Try placing a small pot of plant on your office desktop or cubicle — you may not probably notice the effect in an instant, but you find yourself gradually changing your mood, for the better! The link between plants and better relations with your colleagues may sound far-fetched at first, but plants do help in improving them.
How about productivity, which is the most important thing in the office? Do plants help in boosting it? Thankfully, even a bit of office greenery can also help you in improving your performance!
This is because plants help reduce the carbon dioxide, help to increase concentration and focus, and help to complete cognitive tasks.
So what does this mean for your business? It means that tasks get completely quicker, with fewer mistakes, with productivity being increased by as much as 15% according to the infographic.
Another one of the biggest obstacles to productivity in the workplace is sickness, and the days off and sick leaves that it can cause.
But did you know that plants in the office can reduce absenteeism by as much as 50%, and minor illnesses by 30%?
This is partially because of the fact that the presence of plants means that CO2 levels are reduced, as well removing lots of dust, soot, bacteria and mold from the air, which would otherwise be being inhaled by employees. In other words, plants clean the indoor air, and employees will significantly benefit from a cleaner air: their minds will become clearer and they will become more alert. As a result, employees will be able to perform their tasks more efficiently, and even finish them on time.
If you are the forgetful or distracted type, it’s probably time to get a small pot of it and place it on your office desktop.
All in all, plants and flowers generally just create a much nicer and more pleasant environment to work in, and making employees (and clients) feel comfortable and at ease like this should not be underestimated.
So now that you know some of the benefits of having plants in the workplace, exactly what sort of plants should you be looking at?
Ideally, you want to stick with indoor plants such as aloe, spider plants, cacti, ivy and succulents, as they require minimal care and upkeep. They don’t even have to be watered frequently at all.
And remember, you can always find plants of any shape or size, so don’t worry if you’re currently working in a cramped space as you’re sure to be able to find something to suit you, and it might even make the room look that bit better!
Wanting to learn more about how office plants and flowers can benefit you and your colleagues? Be sure to check out the full infographic from Flowercard below.
