Greener Offices Make Happier Employees

Dr.Tina Marie (Waliczek) Cade, Associate Professor of Horticulture in the Department of Agriculture at Texas State University, conducted a research project designed to investigate whether interior planting or views of exterior planting affected perceptions of job satisfaction.

Researchers posted a job satisfaction survey on the Internet and administered the survey to office workers in Texas and the Midwest.  The survey included questions about job satisfaction, physical work environments, the presence or absence of live interior plants and also windows, environmental preferences of the office workers, and demographic information.

Survey data showed significant differences in workers' perceptions of overall life quality, overall perceptions of job satisfaction, and in the job satisfaction subcategories of ‘nature of work’, ‘supervision’, and a noted difference in perceptions of those who worked in offices with plants and windows who reported that they felt better about their job and the work they performed.

Study results showed that employees in offices without plants rated their job satisfaction low, while employees who worked in offices with plants rated their job satisfaction higher.  Additionally, employees in offices with plants made more positive statements relating to bosses, co-workers, and their overall nature of work compared to those in offices without plants.

When asked about their overall quality of life, the results found that employees with interior plants in their offices tended to consider themselves happier or more content when compared to employees in offices without plants.  The group of employees that did not have either live plants or windows was the only group that stated they were ‘dissatisfied’ with their quality of life.

According to Cade, "There were no statistically significant differences among the categories of age, ethnicity, salary, education levels and position among employees who worked in offices with or without plants or window views. However, we did find gender differences.  Males who worked in offices with plants rated their job satisfaction higher than males who worked in offices with no plants.”  Interestingly, the study found no differences (in level of job satisfaction) in groups of female respondents.

The study supports previous research showing that adverse environmental conditions can have negative effects on employee perceptions of job satisfaction and overall well-being.  Findings from the study also support self-reports from employees that job conditions are directly related to their attitudes, including job satisfaction, frustration, anxiety on the job, and turnover rates.  Productive, happy employees keep businesses thriving.  So, employers -- want to keep your employees happy?  Bring in some green plants and open the windows!
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Journal reference:
• Dravigne, Andrea, Waliczek, Tina Marie, Lineberger, R.D., Zajicek, J.M. The Effect of Live Plants and Window Views of Green Spaces on Employee Perceptions of Job Satisfaction HortScience 2008 43: 183-187
• American Society for Horticultural Science (2008, May 19). Greener Offices Make Happier Employees. ScienceDaily.