March 20th 2009

There is no doubt that we are currently treading the stormy waters of a global recession that most Company Shareholders, Directors, Owners and Managers will never have experienced before.

With sales down across the board, businesses are looking for ways to reduce overheads in order to bring them in line with lagging sales figures.  

However, some areas of cost cutting may prove to be a false economy. For example, interior plants in the workplace may seem to be an unnecessary luxury in tighter times, but they can actually bring about savings for businesses in the long term, by helping to cut absenteeism and reduce annual costs by up to £557 per employee (see below).

Alan Page, Franchise Director of interior landscapers Urban Planters, gives a compelling reason why businesses should not be looking to add indoor plants to their cost-cutting shortlist: “Having plants in the workplace does have an associated business cost. However,  research has proven time and again that, with their associated health & physiological benefits, interior plants can actually help to reduce unnecessary business wastage through staff absenteeism due to stress or common illnesses to such an extent that the cost savings greatly outweigh the cost of installing and maintaining them.”

Recent research by the Health & Safety Executive[i] found that the average number of working days taken off due to sickness ranged between 6.5 and 11.5 days per annum, which could cost a business between £622.70 and £1,101.70 (based on an average salary of £24,908[ii]). In addition, findings by the Agricultural University of Norway found that plants can help reduce absenteeism by up to 60% (see article below).

“If we can reduce the average 11.5 days of absenteeism per annum by 60%, it would equate to an equivalent cost saving of up to £661,” Alan adds. “So, even if a business rented as much as one plant per employee, with an estimated annual rental and maintenance cost of £104 per plant, the savings could be as much as £557 per employee.”

To find out more about how plants can help save your business money, while also enhancing your workplace, call us today on 0800 358 2245.

Plants improve the health of office workers

A recent study found that potted plants can improve the health of office workers. Plants reduce stress, thus reducing the number of sick days that the workers take.

The study was performed by the researchers from the Agricultural University of Norway.  Its result serves as yet more evidence that plants in the work place are good for the office environment, and the health of the workers too.

Tina Bringslimark, expert in environmental psychology, analyzed 305 office workers in 3 offices, each of which had differing amounts of greenery.

"We investigated the amount of self-reported sick leave and compared it with the amount of plants they could see from their desk. The more plants they could see, then the less self-reported sick leave there was," said Ms Bringslimark.  Performing the study at the Norwegian institution, it also showed that plants were able to lower fatigue, prevent dry throats, headaches, coughs and dry skin amongst the office workers.

Professor Grete Patil, working at the Agricultural University of Norway, outlined that there might be several explanations to these beneficial effects of the planted rooms:

"Possibly the most straightforward is that plants and the microbes in their soil are good at removing volatile organic compounds found in the air and that can affect health. There could also be a psychological explanation in that people believe plants are healthier and are likely to evaluate their own health more optimistically," he comments.

This research follows on from earlier research by Prof Tove Fjeld at the Agricultural University of Norway.  Over 4 studies – in an office, schools & a hospital – Fjeld like Bringslimark found that plants in the workplace reduced minor symptoms as detailed above. 

She also found that the air was cleaner in the planted rooms and that planting could have a very positive effect on sick leave; following the study in the hospital x-ray department sickness was reduced by more than 60%.

Source: coinsdig.com & The Daily Telegraph

[i] RR673 – ‘The feasibility of comparing sickness absence surveys and the Labour Force Survey’ - Health & Safety Executive (2008)

[ii]‘ 2008 Annual survey of hours and earnings’ – Office of National Statistics (Nov 2008)

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