#BeWell: The perks of plants in your office

The perks of plants: At All Office, we are committed to helping our clients create workspaces that are geared towards productivity which is why we stock our wide range of ergonomic office furniture. That said, we also understand how work environments significantly impact and influence our mood. A good work environment should therefore not only be comfortable but inspiring too. This brings us to the topic at hand: how can adding greenery to your workspace have a positive impact?

Well, human beings actually have an innate desire to connect with nature, which scientists call ‘biophilia’. Those of us who work indoors may find that we are not as connected to nature on a daily basis as we could be. Adding plants to your office is a simple yet easy way to help combat this, which ultimately helps encourage positivity and promote better health to boot.

What are the perks of plants in your workspace?

– Stress reduction

Studies have found that employee stress levels tend to reduce when plants are introduced to a workspace. Not only that – feelings of tension, anxiety, depression, anger and fatigue are also said to decrease. According to colour psychology, green is known to have a relaxing and calming effect, which is one of the reasons why introducing plants to your workspace may help reduce stress and tension.

TIP: Add a burst of greenery to your office in the form of a beautiful, nature-inspired accent. This Hertex Haus Delicious Monster rug is the perfect choice for anyone looking to create a sense of paradise within their space.

– Better productivity and improved wellbeing

Having just one plant per workspace is said to help raise spirits, promote wellbeing and performance. In addition, according to researcher Dr Chris Knight, adding one plant per every square metre of an office can help improve memory retention.

In 2015, a Human Spaces report found that nearly two-third of workers have no live plants in their workspaces. However, workers that had natural elements in their workspaces reported a 15% higher wellbeing score and a 6% higher productivity score compared to employees whose offices didn’t include living plants.

– Cleaner air

Plants consume carbon dioxide and help to remove chemicals from the air, making it cleaner for humans to breathe. Some studies have found that indoor plants can help reduce carbon dioxide levels by approximately 25% in offices without air conditioning and 10% in offices with air conditioning.

TIP: We have the perfect wall unit to hold an assortment of your favourite house plants – a fabulous addition to any home office!

– Increased creativity and concentration

Did you know that plants help to boost creativity? In the 2015 Human Spaces report, it was also concluded that employees with offices containing natural elements scored 15% higher for creativity than employees without plants or natural elements in their workspaces.

According to attention restoration theory, which explores the role of directed attention in human information processing, looking at nature helps to shift our brains into a different ‘processing mode’ – which can make us feel more relaxed and able to concentrate.

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