There have been several studies that have shown the benefits of indoor plants in the office.  Studies have shown that people’s perceptions of their office environment can be measurably improved by having indoor office plants. There have also been studies showing that indoor office plants have the additional physical benefit of purifying the air in an office.

A study called Improving Office Users’ Workplace Perceptions Using Plants by one Andrew Smith has shown that indoor plants in an office result in employees feeling more positive about their work environment. Employees in an office with indoor office plants have in fact been shown to be more productive.  This is most clearly seen in that when workers see office plants being removed, they actually feel more insecure about their job and there is a resulting decline in productivity. Studies have also shown that large indoor plants help improve employees’ perception of having privacy at work. Studies have also shown that workers in offices with indoor plants perceive their offices to be more attractive and comfortable. These perceptions resulting from indoor plants for the office have been proven to improve productivity.

Other studies have shown that indoor office plants have benefits beyond the psychological. Office plants have been shown to serve a function of purifying the air.  A s research review  by Jane Tarran, Fraser Torpy and Margaret Burchett called Use of Living Pot-Plants to Cleanse Indoor Air has shown the benefits of including indoor plants to your office space. The study which observed more than 60 offices showed that indoor office plants had the benefit of decreasing indoor pollution, whether the indoor plants were in an office with or with air-conditioning. The study showed that the usual outdoor pollutants drift indoors into offices, where they combine with indoor air pollution which can lead to building illness as well as the more common irritants like headaches, sore eyes, nose and throat, or nausea. All of these symptoms can be significantly reduced by the addition of indoor plants to your office.

Based on the information in these two studies, particularly the second one the benefits of indoor office plants in big cities like Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban cannot be underestimated. Its clear from the studies mentioned above that plants for your office are a great idea for an employer, and that they result in improved physical and mental wellbeing – as well as improving the general aesthetics of an office.