While winter is hardly synonymous with cultivating flowers or plants, in many ways it is the ideal season for growing seeds. According to Beauscape, the primary advantage of wet weather is that it produces damp soil, which in turn makes it easier to remove weeds and plant new seeds. As a consequence of this, now is the ideal time to grow a host of seasonal plants, whether these are for your garden, home, or the confines of your workspace.
Integrating plants into your workspace can be particularly impactful, as it offers wide and diverse benefits both for the environment and you as an individual. Consider the following.
1. Plants Reduce Stress and Blood Pressure
In both the UK and the US, studies have revealed that the presence of plants within a workspace can actively reduces stress. In Britain, for example, respondents were tested to compare their skin conductivity, heart rate, and blood pressure in rooms with plants and those without. The results were conclusive, and suggested that the mere presence of plants and foliage lowered the prevailing stress levels and increased the rate of recovery from bouts of anxiety. These results were supported by studies conducted in the US, which also revealed that integration of plants into the workplace also lowered employee blood pressure levels.
2. Plants help to drive Productivity
During the same research trials, it was also revealed that workers surrounded by plants were able to complete computer-based tasks with a reaction time that was 12% faster than alternative test groups. This carefully collated research also suggested that the process of tending for potted plants also help to improve focus over the course of a typical working day, improving the prevailing levels of concentration and attention to detail in the process.
3. Plants improve Indoor Air Quality
In addition to this, including plants in your workspace can also have a positive impact on your physical wellbeing. The growth of living interior plants is known to create cleaner air, leading to improved physical health and lung capacity over time. This has been supported by various NASA studies, with one from 1973 revealing that various varieties of houseplant could be used to eliminate the volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) that are present in the air. Given that VOC’s are capable of causing burning eyes and respiratory issues, the careful integration of houseplants into your workspace can deliver huge dividends.
4. Plants help you to take care of the Environment
We live in an environmentally aware age, with even industrial cities around the world investing in Eco-friendly initiatives. Increased levels of awareness are also impacting on individuals, who are constantly seeking out ways to create a healthier environment. The growth of potted plants at work offers a practical example of this, as this encourages you to take small, but practical, steps towards living a more sustainable lifestyle. While it is a relatively small action, when combined with office recycling and energy conservation it can have a cumulative effect over time.
5. Plants add color and texture to the office
From a purely aesthetic perspective, the use of plants helps to integrate color, texture, and softness into the typical office. Plants are renowned for softening the harsh metallic sheen of filing cabinets, for example, while also infusing bright colors into sterile workplace environments. If you are an entrepreneur, you should also consider cultivating seasonal plants in your businesses reception area, as they have the potential to create a natural and welcoming aesthetic that appeals to clients and employees alike.
6. Plants make your office more comfortable
Similarly, it is crucial that you make your workplace as comfortable as possible (especially of you are to optimize productivity throughout the typical working day). This is particularly important when it comes to humidity, which can rise exponentially during the summer and create an oppressive working environment for staff members. It is worth noting that the recommended humidity range for human health and comfort is fixed between 30% and 60%, and falling short of such figures can trigger employee fatigue, diminishing immune systems, and even respiratory discomfort. Plants can negate these issues, however, as they have the capacity to naturally control humidity levels and elevate them into the required comfort range.
7. Plants drive improved creative thought processes
On a final note, there have also been fringe studies that have explored the influence of plants of creative thought processes. One delivered particularly interesting results, with the introduction of foliage and household greenery into one office increasing creativity by an estimated 15%. Although there are many potential explanations for this, the most sensible is that the presence of plants invoke our natural instincts surrounding food and create a calmer state of mind.
Featured photo credit: Pixabay / GLady via pixabay.com
