Offices have never been the most exciting places in the world. They can be grey, sterile, noisy and stifling places. In an open office especially, between the stress of being surrounded by people and having to focus on ones work, it can be really difficult to find the kind of balance and inner peace that makes great work possible.
Plants are the perfect solution to provide the kind of facelift that a modern office demands and have a surprisingly flexible number of ways to use them to achieve a variety of positive effects. The following list takes a look at how plants can be used in an open plan office and why they are a vital component of any contemporary workplace.
Plants can act as a surprisingly effective sound barrier:
Open plan offices can be really noisy places, between the photocopiers, co-workers and noise of the city they can be a distraction for busy staff. Plants are a great solution for relatively efficient sound reduction.
The structure of their leaves means that plants absorb the vibration from sound waves and are particularly effective at dampening high frequency sounds that people find the most irritating. For the best sound absorption use plants with dense branches and broader leaves such as the Happy Plant.
Plants can add a sense of privacy in an open plan office:
The open plan office was thought up to boost creativity and collaboration between groups, however, human beings can be stressed and distracted by the idea of being watched or overseen. Thus, having a couple of plants around a desk that breaks up sight lines can create a sense of privacy without stopping the easy collaboration an open plan office was designed for.
Plants are the perfect solution to creating break out areas:
There is nothing more exciting than finding a secluded nook or cranny to finish off your lunch or talk with a co-worker after a long morning in the office. Plants can be used as a natural partition or wall to create semi-private areas and delineate different parts of the office for different purposes such as a rest area, a learners corner or meeting hub.
Plants can be used to encourage people to keep the open plan office tidy:
All sorts of people work in offices, from neat to sloppy and everything in between. Having a couple of plants around areas that people tend to put things on and forget to clean up afterwards can really help reduce the availability of such spaces and discourage mess. For example a nice peace lily or cactus on a window sill, partition wall or even on the reception desk can stop people using it to discard their used coffee cup or unneeded file.
Plants are amazingly versatile and have any number of great uses for open plan offices. They can add privacy, act as a sound barrier and keep the office clean, and all they need is a little love and attention in return.
Get in touch with The Plant Man and get the right type of indoor plants that will fit your office space and its unique environment.
