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Bosses looking to quickly increase productivity should ditch brainstorming meetings and instead invest in office plants, a study has found. Greenery in offices boosts work output by 15 percent, and challenges ‘the lean philosophy’ which holds that stark, uncluttered buildings are best for concentration. In experiments at two large commercial offices in the UK and The Netherlands, it was found that plants significantly increased workplace satisfaction, self-reported levels of focus, and perceived air quality. “Simply enriching a previously Spartan space with plants served to increase productivity by 15 percent,” said lead researcher Marlon Nieuwenhuis, from Cardiff University’s School of Psychology. “This conclusion is at odds with the present economic and political zeitgeist as well as with modern ‘lean’ management techniques, yet it nevertheless identifies a pathway to a more enjoyable, more comfortable and a more profitable form of office-based working. “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. “It directly challenges the widely accepted business philosophy that a lean office with clean desks is more productive.” Previous studies have shown that the presence of plants can lower physiological stress, increase attention span and improve well-being. | 
