How adding plants to your workspace can boost your 2020 career goals

Indoor plants have been an ongoing trend over the last few years. More and more homeware stores have been selling foliage in funky pots and memes about millennials becoming ‘plant mums’ have been taking social media by storm.  

Even future King, Prince Charles, admitted in an interview in 1986 that he talks to his plants and it is explained on The Prince of Wales website that “after planting each tree, HRH gives a branch a friendly shake to wish them well.”  

However, be-leaf it or not, indoor plants do more than turn a room into a like-worthy Instagram post, a royal anecdote or a fantastic pun (if I do say so myself).  

Research by the University of Exeter has shown that a basophilic workplace can increase productivity by 15 per cent. The study showed that a greener work environment significantly increased both levels of concentration and workplace satisfaction as well as improved air quality. This is because the foliage increases employees’ work engagement by making them more physically, cognitively and emotionally involved in their work.  

Most environments we work or live in rely on central-heating or air-conditioning which results in dry air, meaning we need plants more than ever. Our leafy friends release moisture into the atmosphere which means reduced headaches and improved concentration.  

Daisy Miller, a graduate from Arts University Bournemouth, conducted an experiment to see if and how plants can boost productivity and creativity in the study environment. The results showed that people not only chose to sit in areas which had plants but also that they tended to stay there for longer.  

“Through doing this study, I grew to understand the need that we as humans have for plants. We are constantly surrounded by a fast-paced, heavily polluted and digital world and can often forget that hundreds or even thousands of years ago all we had was nature,” Miller says. “We lived harmoniously with it, but this crazy world that we live in has obstructed that.”

Daisy works as a graphic designer and has listened to the evidence of her study to improve her own work environment. “What I have learnt more than anything is that it is crucial to have plants in the workplace,” she says. “I stare at a computer most of the day and I can now say first hand, that the addition of plants in the office and around my desk boosts my productivity and reduces my stress tremendously.”  

Professional green thumbs have agreed. Online gardening centre, Patch, says that having a number of plants in the working environment will result in a 60% improvement to one’s mental health and wellbeing.  

Daisy continues to explain that it is not just the biology of the plants which can benefit our day-to-day lives. The aesthetics of plants have benefits which can lift or calm our mood.

“One of the parts of my study I found the most interesting was floriography, how the colours of plants affect us”, Daisy says. “It goes back to the Victorian Era when flowers started to gain more meaning. For example, soft colours such as peach, subtle greens and off whites are known for having a nurturing effect. Using this knowledge, you can place the perfect coloured plants to create an environment that you desire.”

To understand how to use plants decoratively, in an interview with Wired magazine, Freddie Blackett, co-founder and CEO of Patch said, “they [plants] can fill a space, they can frame a space, or they can follow a space.” These three main roles plants play in the aesthetics of your work environment can help determine the size, shape and density of foliage you should choose.

If the biology and aesthetics of plants aren’t enough to convince you, interaction with them has also proven beneficial. In her recent book, ‘The Healing Power of Plants’, Fran Bailey wrote, “caring for our plants can also reduce physiological and psychological stress. Simply looking at and touching plants is thought to lift our mood and when we bring plants into our workspaces, productivity and concentration levels can increase.”  

So if you decide you want to introduce plants to your workplace, whilst looking after them, not only are you ensuring you are gaining all of the benefits they bring, you are also reducing any stresses which brings a positive contribution to your physical and mental wellbeing. Prince Charles doesn’t seem so daft now, does he?  

To ensure your botanical buddies stay in top health, Patch suggests having a rota in the workplace to take in turns who feeds, waters and nurtures your new babies. A happy plant means a happy worker because remember, a plant is for life, not just for your New Year resolution.  

If you are not sure where to start, ‘The Healing Power of Plants’ has advice for all needs including plants to reduce stress, boost brainpower and focus, plants specifically for the workspace and more. There are also tips and tricks on how to look after them, too. At Natcho, we recommend plant virgins to start with ones that are easier to look after such as cacti and aloe plants as they need less water.  

So whether you work in a miserable four-walled office, a busy production studio or in your living room, bring some plant-potted-positivity to your work goals in 2020.