As part of our National plants@work Week celebrations, we interviewed all those involved. Here is our conversation with Kenneth Freeman of Purposeful Places and the Chairman of plants@work.

p@w: We are here at the Theale Business Park near Reading. Thank you Kenneth for talking to us. Can you please provide a brief history of National Plants at Work Week? What are its primary goals?

Kenneth: National Plants@Work Week has been the initiative of plants@work for the past 12 years and its primary goal is to raise awareness of the benefits of plants in the workplaces which is one of the main reasons why people buy plants in the first place. 

p@w: Why is National Plants at Work Week important for both the industry and workplaces?

Kenneth: For our industry the campaign is really important. This is the initiative that all our members can get behind. It presents a consistent message to all our customers that we are a professional, capable and well established industry in this country. In terms of our customers, of course the benefits of plants now are very well known. Twelve years ago when we started this campaign, the research was quite patchy. But now we have a huge body of research from all over the world showing that whenever you put plants in the workplace things are getting better for the businesses in terms of productivity, wellbeing, engagement and absenteeism.

p@w: This year plants@work has chosen to highlight a market stall installation. How do you believe the market stall installation can spark interest and enthusiasm for interior plants in the workplace?

Kenneth: I suppose it humanises them in some respect. We saw all during the pandemic the huge growth in people buying houseplants for their home offices, and this bridges the gap between traditional workplace and the home offices where a lot of people still work whether it is full time or part of a hybrid arrangement. So it really shows that anybody and everybody can have the plants in their workplace no matter where their office is. And these plants are accessible to everyone.

p@w: Looking ahead, what are your aspirations for National Plants at Work Week?

Kenneth:  We’d like National plants@work Week to go from strength to strength. Every year the campaign is getting better, we have more engagement from our members but also from other companies in the interior landscaping industry who would like to promote the benefits of the plants in the workplaces. We hope that more and more companies will be engaged in this campaign. And who knows maybe one day we could make it a global campaign as well.

 p@w: How do you envision the role of interior plants in the future of workplace design and employee well-being?

Kenneth: I think it is absolutely critical. I think a few years ago we talked about plants at work as being nice to have, these days it’s very much need to have. We see throughout the working environment wherever we go in the offices everybody wants plants there, because there is much greater recognition of the benefits of having greenery in the workplace, the connection with the natural environment and all the benefits of biophilic design.

p@w: What personally motivates you to support and promote National Plants at Work Week?

Kenneth: I think it is very important that we get people to use the plants in their workplaces as much as possible. I have been involved in the interior landscaping for nearly 30 years now, it’s tremendous to see the acceptance of greenery in the workplace now as a vital part of the working environment. I am very keen to urge as many people to get the benefits of having greenery at the workplaces as possible. So that’s my motivation, I am very enthusiastic about the idea of improving the workplace with greenery. And plants are very simple, cost-effective and highly effective way of doing that.

p@w: Which would be your top office plant out of this year’s five plants? (Ficus elastica, Strelitzia, Dracaena marginata, Croton, Scindapsus)

Kenneth: That’s a really tricky choice. All of these plants are fantastic in their own right. But I think my favourite of the five species we have here this year will be Dracaena marginata. It’s available in so many different colours and shapes. You can get simple ones, you can get nice big branched ones. It is a very versatile and easy to look after plant. It’s been our industry stalwart for decades and it’s stood the test of time, and it’s very good plant to have.

Dracaena marginata

p@w: How do you incorporate the principles of this initiative into your own work environment or daily life?

Kenneth: I am very lucky I run my own consultancy services and I work from home, so my home is my office so I have the plants completely surrounding me. I always have plants where I work. I am always trying to promote the benefits of greenery wherever I work with my clients, anywhere.

The idea of having meaningful greenery is very important to me.

Thank you very much for your comments Kenneth

You can see the interview here