The latest trends in office design reflect employers’ desire to give workers a healthier and happier environment. Since healing and sustainability has become a priority, it’s no wonder that biophilic office design has become a popular choice among business owners and interior designers. This type of design scheme aims to re-energize workers by reconnecting them to the natural world. By adding greenery to the workplace, employees can have a positive experience and perform better at work.
Research has shown that even small doses of nature, such as potted plants on desks, results in higher task performance, increased helping, and boosted creativity in workers. Adding more plants can certainly help to promote a feeling of freshness and serenity to your office, but placement matters if you’re looking to improve employee performance and overall cleanliness. Here’s how strategic plant placement improves office hygiene and employee productivity.
For Better Air Quality
A clean office space can impact work culture in positive ways. Not only does it create a good first impression on potential business partners and clients, but it also improves focus and promotes stress reduction in employees. Daily cleaning, combined with a professional deep clean every few months or so can help to keep office spaces pristine and clutter-free. But for a healthy and toxin-free environment, think about improving your workplace’s indoor air quality.
Many office buildings have poor indoor air quality since common products used in the workplace such as adhesives, cleaners, photocopiers, and printers give off pollutants, VOCs, and odors. Heavily polluted indoor air can lead to sick building syndrome, which occurs in 57 percent of offices. This results in symptoms such as allergies, eye and skin irritation, respiratory ailments, and asthma. Improving ventilation can clear the air of toxins, but so can adding indoor plants to your office space.
First, choose air purifying plants that can thrive indoors, such as peace lilies, rubber plants, spider plants, snake plants, aloe vera, and bamboo palm. Place at least two to three plants in the copy room, work rooms, reception area, meeting rooms, and other frequently used areas to purify the air. Add at least one plant to smaller rooms like bathrooms, discussion hubs, and collaboration spaces. Keep plants healthy by watering them as needed to maximize their air cleaning properties.
For Productivity and Better Performance
A little bit of stress can motivate employees to do their best, and it helps them to withstand pressure and complete tasks and projects on time. However, being constantly stressed can have a negative impact on focus and creativity, which can lower overall productivity. To reduce worker stress, simply add green plants to your office space. Previous studies have shown that seeing greenery can have a calming effect on the brain. It can also effectively reduce stress and anxiety, making people feel more alive, revitalized, and focused. It’s the reason why individuals feel energized and awake after a hike in the woods or a walk in the park, so bring some of nature’s magic to your office with a mix of medium and large potted plants.
To create a soothing and relaxing feel in your workplace, choose plants with big, deep green leaves, such as fiddle leaf fig, Monstera Deliciosa, bird of paradise, parlor palm, or Calathea pinstripe. Place them in empty corners and highly visible areas, such as near office windows, beside the reception desk, and in strategic spots around the main working area. You can also place them near an eye-catching painting, sculpture, or indoor water feature to enhance the look of your workplace.
For Style and Aesthetics
Working in a beautiful and inviting office can make even the most difficult task more enjoyable. Redecorating every few years can help to maintain your workplace’s aesthetic appeal, but so can adding plants in strategic ways. Place bold splashes of color in your office with flowering plants like African violets, chrysanthemum, and geraniums. You can also take advantage of vertical space by creating a living plant wall. A plant wall can be added to the reception area, near the staircase, and in outdoor or indoor break areas. If your office has a balcony, incorporate bamboo plants to create a natural screen, then add succulents and hanging plants to add a feeling of lushness.
Plants can do so much to improve employee performance and wellbeing. Consider the plant placement tips mentioned above to maximize your greenery’s benefits, and see how they can make a difference in workers’ health, happiness, and productivity.