Office Plants Cost Justification
Office Plants – How to Cost Justify
Overview
Office plants (whether large or small) are easily affordable. We have chosen three different methods to justify an investment in indoor plant services, they are:
- Justification, based on productivity gains
- Justification, based on reduced sick leave
- Justification, based on owning 11 plants.
It’s all about investing in your human resources to: improve employee attitude, increase staff retention and to add value to your triple bottom line.
Good employee attitude and retention is simply a reflection on the employer.
Making the environment a pleasant place to work by investing in plants is one way an employer can look after office staff.
Plants Are Important
We have noticed that when an office reorganises seating, staff like to take their office plant to the new location.
Studies in America and Australia are showing amazing results in regard to how the plants effect employee attitude and retention.
One study shows a 12% productivity improvement in computer based trials when indoor plants are present.
Method 1 - Justification, Based on Productivity Gains
Lohr VI et al.,1996, Interior plants may improve worker productivity by 12% and reduce stress in a windowless environment, Environ. Hort., 14:2, 97-100.
Download the spreadsheet and plug in your own figures.
Spreadsheet based on Productivity Gains
Method 2 - Justification, Based on Reduced Sick Leave
Fjeld and colleagues (1998, 2002) found that by installing indoor plants, office staff sick leave reduced by over 60%.
Download the spreadsheet and plug-in your own figures.
Cost Justification based on reduced sick leave
Method 3 - Justification, Based on Owning 11 Plants

Some people think they save money by doing it themselves.
Where as all they probably achieve is:
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sorry-looking plants and dusty containers,
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wasting someones time, when they could be better employed and
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downgrading their corporate image.
Conclusion
The cost of maintaining your own plants is close to the cost of hiring them BUT a lot less trouble.
In an office of 10 staff, productivity gains of $60,000 can be achieved therefore the cost is really an investment in your staff.
