Green thumbs and wellness for the eyes: Healthier, more pleasant working with plants in the office
Why are plants in the office so important for our well-being? And what positive effects does proper greenery in office spaces have? The countless studies on this topic usually come to a very similar conclusion. Plants are an important part of our everyday working life. We would like to give you some practical examples to help make your working day a little “greener”! (a fitting read: Personal items in the office)
1.1 The University Of Cardiff study
1.2 Common sense
1.3 What effect do plants have in the office?
2. In practice
2.1 It all starts with advice
2.2 The best possible compromise for people and nature
2.3 The ficus rumour
3. Tips & tricks
3.1 Soil is a world of its own
3.2 Which plants are right for my office?
Sources
1. The evidence in green thumbprints
1.1 The University Of Cardiff study
With a cheeky but very fitting title, the University Of Cardiff published an article on its homepage presenting the results of the first scientific field study on this topic: “Flower Power”. This refers to the most surprising finding of the research: anyone who adds greenery to a previously plant-free office can increase the productivity of employees at their desk by 15 percent. This claim is backed up by the work of Marlon Nieuwenhuis from the School Of Psychology at the university and his co-authors, Dr Craig Knight from the University of Exeter and Professor Alex Haslam from the “University of Queensland School of Psychology”. In the first field study of its kind, they examined how plants in the office affect work, well-being and the indoor climate.
In three large open-plan offices in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, they monitored employee satisfaction for months, measured air quality and carried out studies into employees’ ability to concentrate. The results could hardly have been clearer and debunk the assumption that the sparsest possible working environment helps concentration. Carefully placed office plants do not distract from work in the slightest; they measurably improve the ability to concentrate. The improvement in air quality was just as measurable – with equally clear results. And finally, employees reported feeling noticeably more satisfied and better overall.
1.2 Common sense
As nice as it is that renowned scientists have provided this proof, the matter seems quite logical after a little thought. After all, humans are famously part of nature and not part of office furniture. And anyone who has ever taken a walk in spring across bright green meadows and through a freshly budding forest knows the feeling of vague happiness that can come over you in the presence of so much green. Reduced to a few square metres of office space, feelings like these may not be quite so easy to create – especially as there is still one small side issue in the office: work. Nevertheless, people need oxygen, which plants in the office are known to produce; in this respect, improving the office air is also a very logical matter. And it should also be clear that there is a difference between a pleasant environment and distraction. Sitting on the office chair , your gaze will gladly wander from the monitor to a green plant.
1.3 What effect do plants have in the office?
Jan Gisewski, who is responsible for the “Interior Greening” division at Ambius Germany, also points to a whole series of studies. This business unit of the globally active service provider “Rentokil Initial GmbH” specialises in supplying and maintaining office plants for commercial indoor spaces. These include offices as well as reception areas, retail spaces, public buildings, hotels, hospitals and doctors’ surgeries. “Office plants reduce stress, filter pollutants, relax the eyes and significantly improve employee wellbeing,” he confirms. A business owner who provides plants for the office not only ensures a better office climate between the office furniture but also more oxygen, sound insulation and more attractive workstations. “In some cases, sickness absence in companies even falls by up to 3.5 days per employee,” says Gisewski. Office plants have a measurably positive effect.
Since the furnishing of businesses often follows a particular design, a complete office solution is recommended. “Particularly in open-plan offices, great importance is attached to a clean-lined design concept that may also reflect the company’s style or design line. “If every employee then brings in a different pot with a different cactus from home, the effect is counterproductive,” says Gisewski. The expert recommends a coherent overall concept that takes into account the spatial conditions, the client’s preferences, the lighting and space situation, and the budget.
2. Practice
2.1 It starts with advice
There is an order to follow: in most cases, the planting specialists come after the furniture fitters, regardless of whether the interior has been in place for some time or has just been newly installed. During the on-site visit, they determine how much space is available for plants in the office, how much light the individual locations receive and what role the plants are intended to play in the office. If the main focus is on generally improving humidity and air quality, the experts use large-leaved plants, which usually also need plenty of light, water and air. Gisewski: “The rule of thumb is: the more leaf surface a plant has, the more water it can release through its leaves and the more oxygen it can produce.” If visual appeal is the main priority, then not only the office plant itself but also the container it is planted in becomes highly important. “There are pots by renowned designers such as Colani or design brands such as Koziol, there are planters decorated with mother-of-pearl – there is nothing that doesn’t exist.”
2.2 The best possible compromise for people and nature
Office planting is above all about finding compromises. This becomes clear when Jan Gisewski talks about his work. It is not only people who have certain requirements for a plant – the plant itself, which does not naturally grow inside buildings but outdoors, also needs certain conditions in order to thrive. As a result, interior planting specialists are less concerned with finding the perfect solution and more with finding the best possible compromise. Jan Gisewski’s employees currently look after almost 30 000 plants throughout Germany and are responsible not only for planting, but also for care, fertilising and watering. In doing so, they repeatedly come to the conclusion that rules of thumb are rules of thumb, but they are still often proved right by exceptions.
Then there is the story of the thirty weeping figs, also known as “ficus benjamini”, which actually need plenty of light and water – and are quite sensitive to draughts. “And then there is the 31st specimen, standing in a dark corner, hardly ever watered and coping quite well with draughts – simply because no one has told it that it really should have died off long ago.” Gisewski’s humorous example shows that plants are living beings and can be just as different from one another as people.
2.3 The ficus myth
Keyword “Ficus benjamini”: As a popular and relatively easy-care houseplant, it is also widespread in offices, although it has long been surrounded by a strange rumour: it is said to trigger allergies. Is there any truth in that? “I can’t certify that it is completely harmless,” says the qualified horticultural engineer. After all, ficus is a type of rubber plant. A whitish sap flows inside it, which contains latex. “If someone with a latex allergy comes into contact with it, it can of course cause an allergic reaction.” At the same time, there is also the assumption that the plant binds allergens in the dust it attracts. “The opposite has not yet been proven,” says Gisewski. However, he points out that rumours of this kind should be treated with caution, especially in the internet age. The fact is that reports of allergic reactions linked to “ficus benjamini” focus solely on this subspecies. Of the many other ficus subspecies, there are hardly any such reports at all – even though they are also rubber plant species.
3. Tips & Tricks
3.1 Soil is a world of its own
Let’s assume no company was hired for the office greenery and employees are free to choose the plants for their own desk. In that case, there are one or two things to keep in mind – so that the situation described at the beginning does not arise. For example, standard potting soil in the pot should be avoided. This type of planting requires a high level of care, which is not necessarily compatible with longer absences, a holiday or even a long weekend. Since the early 1960s, a system has been developed to make plant care easier – and it has now become so sophisticated that “watering” may only need attention once a month. In so-called hydroponics, an inorganic plant substrate made from fired clay is used instead of soil. In special watertight planters, water and nutrient solution are stored for the plants. The plants then gradually absorb the water and nutrients, keeping them supplied over a longer period of time. Watering follows the ebb-and-flow principle; in other words, more water is only added once the existing water has been completely used up. However, for this growing method, the office plant should ideally develop so-called water roots while still young.
3.2 Which plants are right for my office?
When it comes to choosing office plants, expert Gisewski recommends looking south. “Most native plants are not suitable for indoor spaces because they are used to the changing seasons. Everyone involved would be less than thrilled if the plant on the desk started showing autumnal symptoms,” Gisewski laughs. So if you do not want to start raking leaves in the office or stare at bare or brown grasses in winter, you should think in terms of rainforest plants. “In the office, temperatures remain stable all year round between 17 and 20 degrees, which is more in line with the needs of subtropical plants.” They also cope well with comparatively little light. His recommendation for office plants would be various types of Ficus, Dracaena varieties – in other words dragon trees –, Schefflera species, Kentia or Areca palms. “These plants make up around 70 percent of large-scale office greening. In recent years, one plant species in particular has also made a strong comeback, one that most people still know from their grandmother’s windowsill: Sansevieria.”
Sources
British study by the School Of Psychology, Cardiff; more specifically: Marlon Nieuwenhuis, Craig Knight, Tom Postmes and Alexander S. Haslam completed a study entitled “The relative benefits of green versus lean office space – Three field experiments”, which examines the impact office plants have on work and output. A text on this was published in the “Journal Of Experimental Psychology: Applied, Vol 20(3), September 2014, pages 199-214”. Numerous articles refer to it.
Homepage of the University Of Cardiff: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/
Interview with Jan Gisewski, Dipl.-Ing. Horticulture (FH), Branch Manager at Ambius Deutschland, a division of Rentokil Initial GmbH.