The importance of your office scenery

Have you ever been to a job interview and thought “Nup”, purely based on the look and feel of the office? A minimalist vibe perhaps, with no colour, no plants, very tidy lines of sight. It’s all very “lean”, a bit bland and you’re just not feeling it. Well, you’re certainly not alone. 

For years now, researchers have looked at the impact of office environments on the well-being of its workers. It’s been proven many times over that pleasant scenery, including plants and flowers, is vital for a happy and productive workforce. 

Here are some of the biggest benefits of bringing the outside in:

Less stress and higher productivity

A research strand named “Biophilia” has shown how green office spaces spark physiological responses like improved brain activity (including innovative thinking, creative ideas and problem-solving) and lower stress hormones, which reduces the number of sickies. And you know what that all means? Greater productivity. Who doesn’t want a productive workforce?

But it’s not all about efficiency and improved numbers…

An easy and cheap re-vamp

I move my stuff around at home all the time, just because it’s fun to see things in different places and it freshens the place up a bit. In an office where workers spend most of their waking hours, it’s even more important to give it a refresh so they don’t get sick of the place. By getting flowers delivered weekly you can also have a bit of fun with different themes, mixing it up in line with what’s going on that week. Plus, flowers smell great.

Improve the vibes

If you're not working somewhere like Apple, Facebook or Google where there are beds, barbers and pool tables, then you might need to spruce up that beige wall. It doesn’t take much - colourful flowers refreshed weekly will do the trick or even a single plant on the window-sill. Or, if “more is more” in your book, go all out with a full indoor jungle in the corner. 

But it doesn't take a research study to tell us how good we feel when we’re around nature. We know the rush of being on a hike, or the calm feeling of being in a nice garden. And although we can’t all relocate our office desks to a grand rural vista, we can add a little bit of green to our cubicle, or even better, put a vase on the front desk to share the love.