The Smell of Productivity: How Aroma Therapy can Increase Office Productivity

Of course, everyone wants their office to have a smell of success. Established firms understand how scent impacts the productivity of their workplace . The working environment such as the workshop or office has a significant impact on the productivity of a company. The working environment consists of elements such as music, décor, lighting, and smell, where each influences the overall productivity of workers. Business people don’t have to go to the extent of renovating their workstations or office to make their workers more productive than before. Instead, start small with aspects such as employing scent strategy to enhance performance and uplift working mood.

Aromatherapy has been there for thousands of years now. Experts define it as the science and art of extracting aromatic essences from herbs and grass and utilize it to promote, harmonize, and balance the health of the spirit, mind, and body. Some essential oils contain healing properties, and companies can diffuse them in their working environment in the form of scent to help workers focus and relax while at work. The following are five benefits of scented workplaces and offices.

Top-Notch Performance

Workers can use scent to promote mental clarity and fight fatigue to enable them to focus on their responsibilities. A recent study has revealed that secretaries and accountants can capitalize on lemon scent to reduce their typing errors. Exposure to fragrances such as peppermint can help clerics increase their speed and accuracy when it comes to typing tasks. Smell is the only sense that is linked to the part of the brain that aids in learning, memory, and emotions processing. That creates a powerful impression that tends to connect memory and to smell the scent . The sense of smell can stir up your product preferences and feelings as well as how people perceive the quality of a product. Research has found that the sense of smell is responsible for triggering 75% of human emotions. Aroma is the most powerful sense, meaning that it has a significant influence on the perception, behavior, and the overall decision-making of humans.

Enhance Creativity

Workstations can use various scents to neutralize unpleasant odor that often tends to impact the mood of workers. Recent research has revealed that workers tend to be more creative in critical-thinking and solving problems when exposed to scents that are pleasant instead of unpleasant ones. With a pleasant scent, brands don’t have to pitch themselves, and consumers won’t need to see a logo design to notice a brand. The smell has more impact on customers’ attraction than any sound or visual strategy because the scent has a link with the part of the brain responsible for memory, learning, and emotion processing.

Stress Reduction

Workplace stress is unhealthy and can affect the productivity and performance of workers. However, workplaces can leverage certain products such as essential oils. The late D Gary Young , founder of Young Living has used a combination of essential oils and aromatherapy to decrease workplace stress and increase productivity. A study by the Meikai University in Japan found that smells such as rosemary and lavender can help reduce cortisol, the stress hormone. Another similar research revealed that lemon has a substance known as linalool, which aids in turning down the classic stress response.

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Clean the Environment

Companies can use scents that contain disinfecting properties to keep their workstations, offices, and any other place where workers congregate clean and healthy. Scented sprays and oils contain anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral properties that companies can use to eliminate germs in their working environment. A healthy working environment is critical as it translates to top-notch productivity and fewer sick leaves.

Boost Employee Retention

Losing top talents after investing millions of dollars and time in training courses is the worst thing that can happen to a company. As such, companies are responsible for ensuring that their workers feel appreciated and respected after their dedication and hard work. Numerous research suggests that employee retention has a positive correlation with the level of satisfaction . Another study also found that 93 percent of workers felt valued when working in scented offices and workstations.