Aug 31, 2014 09:33 PM EDT By J Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

Plants in an office could make staff happier and more productive, according to a recent study.

Researchers from the University of Exeter found that a green office is more conducive to a work environment than "lean" designs stripped of greenery. Enriching a lean office with plants could increase productivity by 15 percent.

"Our research suggests that investing in landscaping the office with plants will pay off through an increase in office workers' quality of life and productivity," Marlon Nieuwenhuis, lead researcher of the study, said in a statement."Although previous laboratory research pointed in this direction, our research is, to our knowledge, the first to examine this in real offices, showing benefits over the long term. It directly challenges the widely accepted business philosophy that a lean office with clean desks is more productive."

For the study, the research team examined the impact of lean and green offices on staff's perceptions of air quality, concentration, and workplace satisfaction, and monitored productivity levels over subsequent months in two large commercial offices in the UK and The Netherlands.

They found that plants in the office significantly increased workplace satisfaction, self-reported levels of concentration, and perceived air quality.

Analyses into the reasons why plants are beneficial suggests that a green office increases employees' work engagement by making them more physically, cognitively, and emotionally involved in their work.

"We know from previous studies that plants can lower physiological stress, increase attention span and improve well-being. But this is the first long term experiment carried out in a real-life situation which shows that bringing plants into offices can improve well-being and make people feel happier at work," Kenneth Freeman, head of innovation at interior landscaping company Ambius, who were involved in the study, said in a statement.
Businesses should rethink their lean processes, not only for the health of the employees, but for the financial health of the organization."

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