Growing buds in offices increase employee’s job satisfaction

If it wasn’t already something that we all have probably thought about or experienced on our own, plants have been proven to make office workers happier, more satisfied with their jobs, the work they do and job satisfaction. It seems that most people would probably admit that the absence of plant life can put a damper on living and the mood you have around that environment. A peculiar finding in the latest research seems to show that men reported more positive results due to plants, windows or greenery being around their working conditions.

Researchers at Texas State University in the Department of Agriculture have released the latest study on green living in the office environment. You can read the study abstract here that is titled, “The Effect of Live Plants and Window Views of Green Spaces on Employee Perceptions of Job Satisfaction.” The complete sample of this study was 450 participants in the Midwest. The study asked questions about whether there were live plants in the office or outside within view of a window, what the work environment was like, job satisfaction, demographics and the preferences of the general office. All participants completed their answers on an Internet survey.

One of the findings that really stood out from this specific study was the difference in gender and their reflections on job satisfaction when around plants. When singling out females from their demographic answers, they were not found having a notable difference in job satisfaction whether they had plants in the office or not. When singling out men from their demographic answers, they were found to rate job satisfaction statements higher when they had plants in the office, opposed to men without plants in the office.

Although there were gender differences found in the study, there were many demographic pieces that had no effect on the change in answers in the study. The demographic categories that provided no statistical difference were age, ethnicity, salary, education levels and position in the workplace. Whether you would find plants in the office or the office bare of plants, these demographic categories did not provide a statistical difference in the study.

When considering the overall findings of this particular study it was found that having plants or window views with greenery in sight provided quite a difference on employee outlook. Employees who worked in offices with plants and windows said they felt better about their job and the work they performed. When looking at overall quality-of-life ratings from the survey, employees with windows and plants scored higher.

It seems that the well-being of employees, happiness and job satisfaction isn’t the only thing that is improved when plants are around. The Society of American Florists covers a study done by Texas A&M University here revealing productivity increases when plants are around. This particular study involved 101 participants that had a duration of eight months to come to it’s conclusions.

This study took the participants and put them in random environmental office conditions, selected at random: fresh flowers and plants; with abstract sculptures; or with no embellishments at all. When placed in these specific environments participants were asked to perform a series of tasks while taking part in emotional, creative and attention demand protocols. The researchers took the data and measured the number of ideas participants generated, their ideas’ originality and flexibility, and other responses from the tests. As in the first study, these participants were found to be more creative and original when around plants, flowers and sculptures. Also similar to the first study, male participants were found to have more positive results do to the presence of plants, flowers or embellishments.

Basically, if the office is seeming a little dull it probably needs some sprucing up with some plants, a new view or some flowers. If there doesn’t seem to be a green thumb around to keep anything alive you can always put some art or inspiring pieces like sculptures that were found to have positive results in the second study. Whether you’re in a corporate office, cubicle or a home office, a plant would probably do you good in more ways than one. Your new-found office environment will be budding with happiness, positive outlooks and creativity.

Original here