While businesses in Australia are legally obligated to create a mentally healthy workplace, there is actually a strong business case for doing so. Studies have repeatedly shown that both employees and business owners benefit from a positive and low-stress workplace. This shows up in the form of fewer absences, higher productivity, and reduced turnover of staff.
Some ways of improving your workplace’s impact on mental health require careful planning, such as putting systems in place to handle bullying and harassment. But there are some quick fixes too, and this guide discusses one of the quickest changes you can make – adding plants. This might seem like a small intervention, but it can make a big difference to your workplace environment.
Here are some of the surprising benefits of plants for mental health in the office
Less stress
It is a well-supported fact that people experience negative emotions more intensely than positive ones, so it is wise for any mental health interventions to focus on reducing these. The biggest negative emotion people experience at work is stress, something which plants are known to soothe.
There are a number of infamously stressful workplaces that might benefit from an office plant Sydney investment banks, law firms, management consultancies and more – which could help their employees while not interrupting day-to-day operations in any way. Reducing stress is especially important in an environment where it is not easy to engage in other mental health-boosting activities, such as exercise.
Reduced sickness
Other significant factors that take a toll on people’s mental health are chronic pains and lingering symptoms of illness. Both of these can be caused by a phenomenon known as ‘sick building syndrome.’ This is when people experience unpleasant symptoms that are caused by the building they are in. The symptoms can include anything from headaches and eye strain to skin irritation and nausea. It is not known precisely what causes them, only that it is related to the environment they are in.
Plants naturally filter the air and provide fresh oxygen, and this reduces cases of sick building syndrome. In turn, you will see fewer absences from the office.
Less noise pollution
Plants are an excellent way to add more materials to your office to soak up or deflect sounds. Excessive noise can be extremely irritating for employees and can also diminish their memory and concentration. Reducing it means that they can be more productive for you.
Reduced mental fatigue
Mental fatigue or exhaustion happens when we have been focusing hard on a difficult task for a long time. Like your muscles, your brain wants to recover after an intense period of work, and it starts to signal this to you in the form of irritability, tiredness, and lack of focus.
Plants have been shown to reduce this by around 38%, essentially meaning that people can focus for longer in environments with plants versus those without them.
Conclusion
Plants are a quick, very low-cost intervention that can help companies create a mentally healthy workplace. While they do not target a specific mental health issue in the way that policies and procedures can, their impact can be significant. Combined with other mental health strategies, they can help create a much more pleasant environment that your employees will love working in.
