The Life Changing Magic of Plants on Workplace Well-Being

Wishing you a healthy & happy new year! 🎉

November 30, 2019 0 Comments

Humans have an innate desire to be around greenery. In fact, when asked to imagine a calming and relaxing space, the majority of us would probably answer with a scene involving a natural landscape.

Unfortunately, the spaces we spend the majority of our days in, are often stripped of their connection to nature.

Traditionally, workspaces have been viewed as solely places to make a living. However, today, with the average person spending a third of their adult life at work, we need to make sure these spaces are optimised to be stimulating and pleasurable environments also.

The good news is that by simply adding greenery to our environment, studies show that it can have a positive impact on our workplace wellbeing!

3 Ways Plants Can Improve your Work Wellbeing

Purifies the Air and Reduces Sickness

According to the American Lung Association, indoor air can be even more polluted than the air outdoors with high levels of airborne dust and common pollutants such as asbestos, mould and carbon monoxide. Exposure to these harmful particles can cause unpleasant symptoms like headaches, dry eyes and in some cases, even asthma.

Just like a sponge, plants soak up these nasty toxins in the air and replace it with clean oxygen. Extensive research conducted by NASA revealed that plants can remove up to 87% of toxins in the air in just 24 hours!

In fact their purifying abilities are so powerful that, researchers have found that sickness rates fall more than 60% in offices with plants compared to those without.

Boosts Mood Levels and Decreases Stress

In 2018, one in five workers in Ireland reported missing work due to anxiety, stress or depression. While there are many factors at play here, often one of the main causes of workplace stress, lies within the environment itself.

Being cooped up inside all day with little opportunity to get outside, can wreak havoc on our wellbeing. Bringing greenery into the office environment can deliver a much needed moral- boost and work wonders on the physical and emotional health of employees.

But why is this?

Plants have been used as part of a natural form of therapy for decades due to the powerful association of the colour green with feelings of relaxation and calm.

Being surrounded by this colour, in the form of plants, can make us feel more mindful, patient and can help relieve symptoms of stress.

Improves Productivity and Encourages Creativity

Offices can often be pretty sterile, noisy spaces, making it hard for employees to stay motivated or feel content during the work day.

Studies suggest that when surrounded by nature, people’s blood pressure levels are lower, stress is reduced and their minds are given the space to concentrate and create. This has a knock-on effect on productivity levels with research showing a 15% increase in productivity in offices with plants versus those without!

If that wasn’t impressive enough, plants with large leaf surface areas also have the ability to absorb sound and create a sense of tranquility, making them the perfect addition to open plan work spaces.