YES, ITS THE FERN. THE FERN MAKES ME WORK HARDER.
  • wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock.com
  • YES, IT'S THE FERN. THE FERN MAKES ME WORK HARDER.
It seems like for as long as we humans have been working at desks in fluorescent-lit offices, there've been truckloads of people trying to figure out how to make office workers smarter, better, happier, more productive. (Here at The Stranger, we've tried everything, from free cookies on the office snack table to free weed on the office snack table to—well, mostly it's weed and snack-table related.) But one line of inquiry, Vox reports, has had some interesting results recently: Could putting plants near your desk actually make you a better worker?

Researchers went to the open-plan office of a London consulting group and filled part of it with plants. 17 workers stayed in the "lean" (plantless) part of the office, and 16 got to work in the plant-filled part, with enough plants so that each person could see at least three from his or her desk.

For several consecutive days, at some point during the working day, the two groups of workers performed simulated work tasks (sorting memos and answering questions about them, as well as proofreading a magazine article). When these tasks were graded, the researchers found that those in the plant-filled area completed the tasks 15 percent more quickly and accurately than the others.

Additionally, the researchers conducted a few experiments at other offices for the same study, and they made some other positive findings. Another office of British consultants' self-reported productivity (as gleaned from survey responses) increased when plants were present. And in both offices—as well as a Dutch health insurance company's call center—workers reported higher levels of satisfaction with their office environment when plants were present.

The study was tiny and may be meaningless, they point out; on the other hand, it could be that the air-purifying qualities of plants have a real effect on decision-making and concentration.

Of course, the closest thing to a plant in The Stranger offices is the lush growth of mold flourishing in abandoned coffee mugs, so we really have no fucking idea. That's why we're asking you, office workers of the world. To the Slog Poll Mobile!