I find that quite often some of our commercial space clients would rather not purchase indoor live plants because they are certain they could use the money for something else ‘more important’ and truly can’t be bothered with the upkeep.

Personally, I find plants to be very beautiful. There’s something about them that literally turns a space from drab to ALIVE – their vibrant colors, sensitivity to motion, smell, textures and tactile nature are elements that Interior Design studies have shown to add ambience and beauty to any space. However besides the visual attributes of amplifying a rather dull or dry office, plants can spruce your workplace up in more ways you may never have known!

According to Mrs. Mimi Ade-Odiachi of Omar Gardens “Plants make the environment more vibrant. Spaces with indoor plants are more relaxing and friendly. Surely, it must be the fresh oxygen the plant releases into the environment.”

With science driven statistics, we explore 5 unusual benefits of having live plants in your workplace.

1.Better efficiency

Over 10 years ago, a study at the Washington State University by Dr. Virginia Lohr concluded that students working in an environment (or a computer lab) actually had a better working efficiency by more than 12%. When compared to those tested in a non-plant computer laboratory, those in the computer lab with plants had lower blood pressure overall, too.  (Most offices these days can liken to a computer lab 🙂

2.Increased employee retention

Without doing much at all, your workplace could thrive based on plant induced employee retention alone. It sounds crazy, but Oxford University tested this theory and found the perceptions and dispositions of employees were altered for the better when there were plants present in the workplace.  This is done through a conceived, unspoken notion that when a company or corporation “cares” enough to put plants in an office, that they may “care” about the employees, too. Amazing how perceptions work.

3.Plants physically create a comfortable environment

Humans have a comfortable humidity range between 30% and 60%. This can be easily reached within an office space through natural moisture given off of live plants. When employees are comfortable in temperature and humidity aspects, they are prone to better productivity and alas, retention. Speaking of environment around employees, sealed workplaces that do not have any plants whatsoever have 50% more bacteria in the air. When plants are introduced, there is 50%-60% reduction in bacteria.

4.Your employees will actually show up

Besides employee retention, a study conducted in Norway concluded that workspaces that have plants could increase how many employees show up everyday. Typically, the absenteeism rate was 15% in the studied workplace and absenteeism brought this percentage down to 5%. In return, this helps the company’s pocket, as they’d save more than 10% because of an employee’s salary.

5.It can save a company money elsewhere

Speaking of saving company money, HVAC costs can be reduced by up to 20% when introducing plants and foliage into the workspace. By incorporating more plant life, you can actually create an eco-friendly building without splurging money for plant life.

If your office as a whole isn’t interested in buying live plants – you could purchase your own mini plant to have at your personal desk