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Study: workers happier with a few plants around

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-05-28 14:59

Adding a few plants to the workplace adds up to happier, more satisfied workers, a new study reveals.

"We pretty much found out that if you had windows and plants or even if you just had plants in your office, you were more satisfied with your job," said Tina Cade associate professor of horticulture at Texas State University told LiveScience. "We thought it was important for offices because a lot of times people are looking for ways to keep employees happy and do all these expensive things like put in a daycare or a workout room. Maybe for less investment they could put in a few plants in strategic places."

A corner of office [file]

The team surveyed 450 office workers in Texas and the Midwest, asking questions about job satisfaction and work environments. They found that people who worked in offices with plants and window views reported they felt better about their job and the work they performed compared to those in windowless offices without shrubbery around.

When asked about their overall life quality, 82 percent of people who work with plants and windows around said they felt "content" or "very happy." Only 69 percent of those who work with plants but without windows, and 60 percent of those who have windows but no plants, said they felt this way.

The group of people who work without plants or windows were the most dissatisfied, with only 58 percent of them saying that overall they were "content" or "very happy." While no one who works with plants, windows, or both reported they felt "miserable," 0.8 percent of those who work in offices devoid of either said they were "miserable."

"I was really surprised that having a plant in your office appeared to be more beneficial than having a window in your office," Cade said. "Everybody says, 'I need a window!' but actually it seemed like a plant could be a suitable alternative."

The researchers said they controlled against the influence of salary, position, age, and ethnicity, so they don't think those factors can account for their results. The differences they found in job satisfaction and overall quality of life were statistically significant, they said.