Employees are a critical part of any business. They represent the company and help create the products or services that give the business it’s standing in the market. Whether they’re in marketing, management, IT, or in an office support role, productive employees keep a business going.
And how does a company keep its employees productive? By keeping them happy and providing an environment that fosters their creativity, efficiency, and productivity. That includes the appropriate technology and communication tools to work as a team, and the resources to do their jobs effectively.
But there’s another tool that increases morale, creativity, and productivity, and helps create a healthy work environment while adding a beautiful aesthetic all at once. And many companies don’t use it at all, even though it’s the most natural asset you could use: Plants.
Even if managers understand some of the benefits that plants can provide in a workspace, they might not have the knowledge to apply them properly. How many CEOs have expertise in living walls, for example? Unless they’re expert plant parents away from work, it would be unfair to expect them to understand how to use plants in their workspace effectively.
But we can. At Plantz.us, we specialize in creating spaces that stimulate creativity and productivity. And we can handle every step of the process, from advising and selecting the best options to installation, care, and maintenance. You don’t need the experience to choose and manage the right plants for your office, but you’ll reap all of the rewards, which are substantial.
Innovative Spaces
Any business can provide workers with a cubicle, desk, chair, and monitor. Every office building has regular walls and floors, usually some mixture of the same few, neutral colors and designs. They’re functional, but do they stimulate creativity? Do they make employees happy to be there? Does it make them happy to be working at the company? If they’re expected to spend 40 hours a week (sometimes a lot more), does this environment put them at their best?
Decades ago, businesses might not have considered any of these issues. But today, we know that a work environment can have a big impact on the work that’s produced in that environment. And at Plantz.us, we can help transform your environment into an innovative, modern space.
And, for purposes of productivity, the term “modern” has also changed. It doesn’t mean a lot of electronic machines and metal. It doesn’t mean everything is computerized and automated, and void of human contact whenever possible. It means creating a workspace that appeals to human beings on a physical, mental, and emotional level and feels natural and comforting to anyone who goes there. An innovative, modern design is one that uses living things to inspire living things. And it’s what we do at Plantz.us to transform your workspace into something special.
When you incorporate plants into a work area, you’re adding life and warmth to what would have previously seemed lifeless and cold. You’re adding vibrant, healthy color to what would have been a basic, uninspiring palette. And you’re adding varied, natural shapes where you might have seen only sharp angles and pre-constructed designs.
Heightened Senses and Health
When you’ve changed your workspace to include plants, you’re stimulating your employees’ senses on a regular basis. Every room, hallway, and work area can have different plants to disrupt the regular, expected office visuals. Those unique looks help make them more alert and present while at work.
The purified air that plants provide can help with mental clarity, and cleaner air quality can improve their general health and, over time, their attendance as well. You can reduce Sick Building Syndrome (a condition where office workers suffer respiratory and other health issues as a result of stress and poor ventilation) with the natural humidifying and air-purifying qualities that plants provide. A working staff whose mental and physical health is challenged by their workspace cannot possibly perform at their best. Why not give them a potential advantage simply by coming to work in an attractive environment?
Aside from physical benefits, studies show that plants also improve moods and encourage contemplative thought and creativity. Alert and attentive employees are more productive employees and happier employees. The proper use of plants in your workspace provides advantages that other decoration efforts cannot offer because their outcomes still look manufactured, while plants always retain their natural and appealing status.
Connecting With Nature
Plants allow workers to perform in an environment that also taps into the human desire to be around living things. A decorative goal to satisfy that desire, known as biophilic design, creates an environment that makes workers more relaxed and comfortable, even as they spend many hours there dealing with stressful situations.
The theme can be consistent throughout the area while differing in specific spaces. Certain plant species can be in areas with desks and cubicles, while others are better suited to break areas, meeting rooms, or community spaces. The different plants can subtly designate an area for a specific task while adhering to the overall biophilic design.
Like a peaceful walk in a garden, a sizeable amount of green in a workspace can trigger feelings of calm and serenity, which can be valuable in a fast-paced environment. Businesses can use this type of design to help workers avoid burnout, reduce their frustration and stress, and improve employee retention in the long run.
A biophilic design also benefits visitors to your workspace.
The Real Thing
While artificial plants can improve a general look at first glance, they offer none of the extra benefits you’ll get with living ones. They don’t improve the air quality, they don’t have the authentic, vibrant presence of a real plant, and they don’t brighten the mood of the office or the productivity of the people who work there. And it won’t take long for everyone to realize that they aren’t authentic, and exist just as a shallow visual. By offering a hint of natural contact, and then denying it with an artificial prop, it actually reinforces the cold, lifeless feel of a typical office.
You’ve probably experienced the feeling of coming up to a plant and realizing it isn’t real. It’s not a rejuvenated feeling, nor a mood enhancer. If anything, it’s a mild disappointment, and a subtle message that things aren’t authentic here. It’s not the message you want to send workers, customers, or guests, and it’s something you’ll never have to worry about when you use real plants in your décor.
Fighting ‘Quiet Quitting’
The concept of “quiet quitting,” or doing the bare minimum at your job and nothing more, usually stems from some form of worker dissatisfaction. Today, employees are always looking for other opportunities and can be less likely to go the extra mile. At a time when companies want people to come back to an in-person work setting after working remotely, how can adding plants to your workspace make a difference in employee satisfaction?
First, studies show that people voluntarily spend more time in an area with a biophilic design. When they have a positive view of the workspace, coming back to work is less of an obstacle to employee satisfaction.
Second, having an assortment of plants around the office spurs creativity and concentration. Employees naturally accomplish more and are more dynamic with their work product. It’s more difficult to commit to “quiet quitting” when you’re automatically more productive thanks to a positive work environment. Eventually, employee satisfaction improves and their perception of the workspace improves to the point that they’re eager to contribute again.
Third, as workers’ moods improve, their relations with each other and management improve as well. And since poor relationships with fellow employees play a large role in turnover, improving moods lead to improving relationships, which in turn leads to synergy and less turnover. Happier employees are more productive, get along with each other better, and are more likely to stay than their less-motivated counterparts. With an improved aesthetic in the workplace and a corresponding boost in employee moods and relations, you can deter “quiet quitting” before it threatens the company’s success.
Which Plants Are Best? Trust Plantz
To achieve these goals in the workspace, what solution is best? A living wall with plants or moss? Large floor pots with tropical species? A variety of smaller, desk-based options? Perhaps some hanging plants, or vines growing along walls guided by trellises? Or maybe a combination of all of those?
Each business is different, and each workspace is different, so there’s no one right answer that applies to every situation. How can you choose the right mix of plants for your space, and how can you care for them once they’re there? Fortunately, that’s where we come in. At Plantz.us, we specialize in finding the right plants for your space, installing them, maintaining them, and making sure that you’re happy with them. We want you to be as satisfied with the project as your employees are with the end result.
To accomplish that level of satisfaction, we’re with you from the very beginning. We want to know about your space and how you envision it benefits your business. We’ll get your ideas and go to work, coming back with designs that match your vision. The designs will include specific plants for the areas you request, and we’ll explain (in detail) why they were chosen, and what benefits and visuals you can expect.
After that conversation, they’ll be installed professionally and in a manner that highlights their placement and maximizes their contribution to the décor. We’ll also maintain them and make sure they keep the look you want for the effect you want. With Plantz.us, you don’t have to become a plant expert to enjoy their addition to your workspace. You don’t have to know how to care for them or diagnose a problem. You don’t have to remember complicated care schedules or worry if you’re doing the right thing to maintain them. We know plants and we love plants, and our efficient service schedules will maintain your plants to look just as beautiful as the day you got them. And as they grow, we can maintain the look you want, or let their natural growth shape the look of your office. There’s something beautiful about watching vining plants grow along a trellis, slowly marking the passage of time while becoming a bigger part of the environment. Whatever look you want to keep in your space, we can make sure it stays the way you want it.
Questions and Answers
We know that you might have a lot of questions regarding adding a biophilic design to your workspace. You’ll want to make sure that it’s a practical solution for your current environment, and you want to see how creative our team can get to accomplish your goals.
At Plantz.us, we look forward to having those discussions with you, learning about you and your business, and finding out how our expertise can make changes to your décor that will have lasting effects for everyone who works or visits there. And after the transition is complete, we’ll be able to make adjustments as you need them, whether it’s moving plants from one area to another, adding some new species to the mix, or going larger or smaller with your selections. Whatever you need, we’ll be there to help each step of the way, providing first-class installation and maintenance as a hallmark of our commitment to customer service. Simply use our contact page to start the conversation.
