研究顯示 辦公場所中的自然因素可以提升工作效率

For many of us, our physical workplace can be dark, depressing, bland and even dysfunctional.
對我們中的很多人而言，我們的工作場所可能是陰暗、令人沮喪、乏味甚至功能失常的。

Windowless cubicle farms and airless open-plan floors can kill motivation and take a toll on worker performance, possibly even their health.
沒有窗戶的小隔間和不透氣的開放式樓層，足以抹殺工作動力，極大地損害員工的工作表現，甚至是他們的健康。

But a refreshing trend is taking root in workplace design: nature.
但是一種耳目一新的趨勢，正在辦公室設計中萌芽：自然。

There's a growing body of evidence showing that workplaces that incorporate natural elements, such as plants, light, colours and shapes, have noticeable — and measurable — benefits for both companies and their employees.
越來越多的證據表明，包含植物、光、顏色和形狀等自然元素的工作場所對公司及其員工都有明顯並且可衡量的益處。

The positive effects touch on everything from worker happiness and creativity to increased productivity, decreased absenteeism, better staff retention, improved profits, and the improved ability to attract the best workers.
這些積極的影響包羅萬象，從員工幸福感、創造力到增加生產效率；減少礦工；提高員工保留率；改善利潤以及提高吸引最佳員工的能力。

It's all based on the principle of biophilia — the instinctive affinity that humans have with the natural world and other living systems. And it's easier to achieve at the office than you'd think.
這基於親生命性的原則--人類和自然世界以及其他生命系統擁有本能的親和力。這種本能在辦公室裏比你想象的容易實現。

"People just don't like fluorescent lights in a building with no plants, no views, no natural lighting," says Sir Cary Cooper CBE, professor of organisational psychology and health at Lancaster University in the UK and co-founder of consultancy Robertson-Cooper.
英國蘭卡斯特大學組織心理學和健康教授、Robertson-Cooper諮詢公司聯合創始人庫伯先生表示："人們只是不喜歡在沒有植物，沒有風景和沒有自然光的建築裏使用熒光燈罷了。"

He led a 2015 study on the impact of biophilia in the workplace that surveyed 7,600 workers in 16 countries and found that even small nature-inspired changes can have a dramatic impact.
2015年時，他領導了一項關於工作場所親生命性影響的研究，這項研究調查了16個國家的7600名工人，研究發現，即便是很小的環境變化也能帶來巨大的影響。

Respondents to the Human Spaces Global Report who worked in environments with natural elements reported a 15% higher level of well-being, a 6% higher level of productivity and a 15% higher level of creativity.
人類空間全球報告發現，在擁有自然因素的環境中工作的受訪者，幸福水平要高出15%，生產效率高出6%，創造力高出15%。

One third of respondents said the design of an office would affect their decision to work for a company. Even so, 58% said there were no live plants at their workplace and 47% reported having no natural light.
三分之一的受訪者表示，辦公室的設計會影響他們是否爲公司工作的決定。即便如此，58%的人稱他們的工作場所裏沒有植物，47%的人的工作場所沒有自然光線。

An earlier, 2014 study by Cardiff University in Wales also showed that plants in the office make people happier and more productive. But more research is needed into biophilia, experts say.
威爾士卡迪夫大學的一項早期研究也顯示，辦公室的植物讓人們更快樂、效率更高。但是專家表示，這仍需要進行更多研究。