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(BUTTON) Search with google * Make a contribution * Subscribe * (BUTTON) International edition + switch to the UK edition + switch to the US edition + switch to the Australia edition * Search jobs * Dating * Holidays * Digital Archive * The Guardian app * Video * Podcasts * Pictures * Newsletters * Today's paper * Inside the Guardian * The Observer * Guardian Weekly * Crosswords * Facebook * Twitter * Search jobs * Dating * Holidays * Digital Archive * Money * Property * Pensions * Savings * Borrowing * Careers (BUTTON) More Work & careers Plants in offices increase happiness and productivity Study suggests that minimalist offices produce miserable employees because 'sometimes less is just less' Shiv Malik @shivmalik Mon 1 Sep 2014 00.00 BST First published on Mon 1 Sep 2014 00.00 BST * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email Cactus in pot [ ] People in 'lean' offices are as miserable as ants in an empty jam jar, researchers say. Photograph: Ocean/Corbis Offices devoid of pictures, souvenirs or any other distractions are "the most toxic space" you can put a human into, say psychologists in a paper published on Monday, which says workers perform better when household plants are added to workplaces. Dr Chris Knight from Exeter University and his fellow psychologists, who have been studying the issue for 10 years, concluded that employees were 15% more productive when "lean" workplaces are filled with just a few houseplants, as employees who actively engage with their surroundings are better workers. Collaborating with academics from four universities in Australia, the UK and the Netherlands, Knight said he had wondered for years why the fashion for spartan offices has been so dominant in the business world. "If you put an ant into a 'lean' jam jar, or a gorilla in a zoo into a 'lean' cage – they're miserable beasties," he said. People in "lean" offices are no different, he added. In the last year and a half, his colleagues have visited workplaces including a call centre in the Netherlands and a large City auditor in London to show how a splash of greenery could rapidly improve performance. The City auditors, which Knight declined to name, had spent "a lot of money" on their office, he said. "They had very expensive desks … banners that were just to do with the company … it was a beautifully sparse environment." The call centre was similarly stripped bare. Knight said some companies he knew of had even taken to fixing computer keyboards to desks and taping down staplers to ensure tidy lines of sight. Yet when plants were brought into the offices – one plant per square metre – employee performance on memory retention and other basic tests improved substantially. "What was important was that everybody could see a plant from their desk. If you are working in an environment where there's something to get you psychologically engaged you are happier and you work better," Knight said. While plants were chosen in the study, photographs, changes in light or even smell could be used to achieve a similar effect, Knight said. He hopes the 18-month project – the first of its kind carried out in functioning offices – will bury the lean office practice for which he said there was no scientific support. Prof Alex Haslam, from the University of Queensland's School of Psychology, who co-authored the study, added: "The 'lean' philosophy has been influential across a wide range of organisational domains. Our research questions this widespread conviction that less is more. Sometimes less is just less." Topics * Work & careers * Plants * Biology * Happiness indices * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share via Email * Share on LinkedIn * Share on Pinterest * Share on Google+ * Share on WhatsApp * Share on Messenger * Reuse this content View all comments > (BUTTON) Order by * (BUTTON) newest * (BUTTON) oldest * (BUTTON) recommendations (BUTTON) Show 25 * (BUTTON) 25 * (BUTTON) 50 * (BUTTON) 100 * (BUTTON) All (BUTTON) Threads * (BUTTON) collapsed * (BUTTON) expanded * (BUTTON) unthreaded Loading comments… Trouble loading? (BUTTON) View more comments more on this story * Surprise! Mathematical model reveals unexpected findings on happiness According to a new study, experiencing joy when you least expect it is the greatest boost to wellbeing Published: 16 Aug 2014 Surprise! Mathematical model reveals unexpected findings on happiness * Who are Europe’s happiest people – progressives or conservatives? Andrew Brown Andrew Brown: We may assume social democracies produce higher levels of wellbeing, but poll data suggests the reverse may be true Published: 12 Sep 2014 Published: 12 Sep 2014 Who are Europe’s happiest people – progressives or conservatives? Most popular * Money * Property * Pensions * Savings * Borrowing * Careers IFRAME: /email/form/footer/today-uk * Contact us * Complaints & corrections * Secure Drop * Work for us * Privacy policy * Cookie policy * Terms & conditions * Help * All topics * All writers * Digital newspaper archive * Facebook * Twitter * Advertise with us * Search UK jobs Support The Guardian Contribute Subscribe Back to top © 2018 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. (BUTTON) Close [p?c1=2&c2=6035250&cv=2.0&cj=1&comscorekw=Work+%26+careers%2CPlants%2CU K+news%2CBiology%2CHappiness+indices]