Bosses looking to quickly increase productivity should ditch brainstorming meetings and instead invest in office plants, a study has found.

    Greenery in offices boosts work output by 15 percent, and challenges “the lean philosophy” which holds that stark, uncluttered buildings are best for concentration.

    In experiments at two large commercial offices in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, it was found that plants significantly increased workplace satisfaction, self-reported levels of focus, and perceived air quality.

    “Simply enriching a previously spartan space with plants served to increase productivity by 15 percent,” said lead researcher Marlon Nieuwenhuis, from Cardiff University’s School of Psychology.

    “This conclusion is at odds with the present economic and political zeitgeist as well as with modern ‘lean’ management techniques, yet it nevertheless identifies a pathway to a more enjoyable, more comfortable and a more profitable form of office-based working.

    “Our research suggests that investing in landscaping the office with plants will pay off through an increase in office workers’ quality of life and productivity.

    “It directly challenges the widely accepted business philosophy that a lean office with clean desks is more productive.”

    Previous studies have shown that the presence of plants can lower physiological stress, increase attention span and improve well-being.

    The study looked into offices over several months when plants were removed and added.

    Analyses into the reasons why plants are beneficial suggest that a green office will make employees more physically, cognitively, and emotionally involved in their work.

    Words to Learn 相关词汇

    【抛弃】

    pāoqì

    ditch

    throw away     

    【不一致】

    bù yīzhì

    at odds with

    different from

   绿植提升办公效率15%

    一项研究发现，希望快速提高办公效率的老板们应该抛弃头脑风暴会议，转而购买办公室植物盆栽。

    办公室的绿色植物能够提升15%的工作产出，也挑战了“精益方法”的理念：朴素整洁的建筑最有利于集中注意力。

    在英国和荷兰的两个大型写字楼进行的实验发现，植物能显著地提高工作场所的满意度、受调查者自己汇报的注意力和感受到的空气质量。

    “在先前简朴的办公空间布置植物盆栽有助于提高15%的效率，”来自卡迪夫大学心理学院的首席研究员马龙·尼乌文赫伊斯说。

    “这项结论和目前的经济和政治思潮不一致，也和现代的‘精益’管理模式相抵触，然而它指出了一条更愉快、更舒适、更高效的办公室工作方式。”

    “我们的研究表明，投入资金在办公室布置植物景观是有回报的，可以提高员工的生活质量和工作效率。”

    “它直接挑战了之前广为接受的经营理念，就是朴素的办公桌和极简的办公室更高效。”

    有研究表明，植物可以减轻生理压力，提高注意力并促进身体健康。

    这项调查研究了办公室数月间随植物盆栽移除和添加发生的变化。

    为何植物是有益的？分析表明绿色办公室环境能使员工更加全身心地投入工作。