Work from Home? Our Top Houseplants for Productivity.
If something as easy as sitting a plant on my desk is going to help make me more productive, I am onboard with giving it a red hot crack!
There are countless articles and blogs on the benefits of indoor plants...health, happiness, styling, the list goes on. The one that really interests me is plants can increase productivity in the office, but how legit are these claims? Some Mondays, I need 3 coffees before I can even contemplate setting up for a day of work in the home office. Even then I am hanging out for midday when I can get my daily dose of Ellen and my well deserved lunch break, I did just send like 3 or 4 emails after all.
There are of course many factors involved when it comes to increased productivity and I would be naive to think that a couple of plants are going to make a the world of difference but let's have some realistic expectations and delve a little deeper into the perks of a green office space
The stats:
- Research suggests that plants can increase productivity by as much as 15%, as well as improving employees’ sense of wellbeing in the workplace by up to 40%.
- Meanwhile, A US study found 10% of employee sick days could be explained by a lack of nature and natural light in the office.
- Researchers studied brain scans of people who were randomly assigned to look at pictures of a green meadow or a concrete roof for 40 seconds. Even this brief glimpse of nature was enough to shift the brain into a more relaxed mode. Just being able to see nature has been shown to increase both self-esteem and mood, particularly among younger people.
- Some researchers suggest humans have an innate need to be connected with nature. This is called Biophilia. But as housing density, commute times, and office hours increase, we are spending less and less time in natural environments.
- Plants are natural air filters, removing carbon dioxide and releasing pure oxygen.
- Air-filtering house plants are effective at removing benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene, xylene and ammonia from the air — chemicals and mould that have shown to have negative effects on your health.
NASA recommends at least one plant per 100 square feet (10 square meters), and although this research is quite old, it is still regarded by many as the most comprehensive and accurate to date.
Some of the top Air Filtering Houseplants are the Peace Lily, English Ivy, Moth In-Law's Tongue (Variegated Snake Plant), Devils Ivy, Spider Plant, Monstera Deliciosa and the Chinese Ever Green plant. When choosing plants for your office space it is important to ensure the plant is well suited to the lighting conditions because a dead plant won't have quite the same effect.
Our Top Plants Picks for Productivity:
We have been fortunate enough to greenify several offices in Melbourne but it is important to note that even if you can't get the big boss onboard the office greenery train, you can definitely get creative with your own space. And if you have the motivation to do that, imagine the productivity potential once your plant arrives. Employee of the month is looking good for you 😉