If You Can’t See a Plant From Your Desk, You’re Losing Productivity

Open-plan workspaces with minimalistic designs have become the standard for companies looking to avoid distraction and increase productivity. Yet these kinds of offices can actually reduce productivity by stifling creativity. As researchers from Exeter University, UK, have found, offices which encourage employees to interact with their immediate environment through plants benefit from a 15% jump in productivity. Commenting on a 10-year project that examined different productivity rates in different office environments, lead researcher Dr. Chris Knight said: 

“What was important was that everybody could see a plant from their desk. If you are working in an environment where there’s something to get you psychologically engaged you are happier and you work better.”

While plants were used in Knight’s study as a way for employees to interact with their environment, other methods might include photographs, changes in light, and even different scents. As business author Gary Hamel said in his Big Think interview, unlocking employees’ talents is an essential move for businesses in the knowledge economy since they depend on creativity and inspiration for innovation:

Read more at the Guardian

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