A purple orchid sits on my desk near the window. Its silent, natural beauty a sharp contrast to the practical, functional tools I have on my desk. Sometimes while I’m looking around in exasperation when the printer is acting up or my email won’t load fast enough, I’ll see the orchids and think, Well, at least we have pretty flowers in here.

A 2008 study by Dr. Tina Marie Waliczek Cade, Associate Professor of Horticulture in the Department of Agriculture at Texas State University showed that employees who worked in office environments that had plants or window views of greenery were more productive and happy with their jobs than employees without greenery and plants. The study can be found on ashs.org, American Society for Horticultural Science website.

I will say it’s also an uplifting activity to water a plant. It feels rewarding to nurture a living thing – even though the last time I watered the floor plant it overflowed and got Erika’s bag all wet. Oops! Overall, it can’t hurt to have a plant in the office to boost happiness and productivity. We’d love to see you post pictures in the comment section of plants you have in your office.