If your office desk looks like the inside of a hospital room – bare, drab, and sanitized – it’s time to shake things up and add some character to it. Not only will it make your office desk look cozier and more homey, it will also improve the air quality of your work environment, reduce workplace stress, and enhance productivity. It also gives your eyes a welcome break from staring too long at a computer screen. In addition, larger plants can act as space dividers between workspaces.

Here’s a list of the best indoor plants for beginners. They’re in the beginner category because they are fairly low maintenance and hard to kill. They require minimal care and aren’t so persnickety. They will just want a little love and affection, plus water and sunlight. Some of these are small enough to keep on top of your desk, but most require a small dedicated space near sunlight.

The Peace Lily, or Spathiphyllum
The Peace Lily is at the top of the list for a reason. It can thrive in low office lighting and is an excellent air purifier. It is very easy to maintain, especially for first-time plant parents, because it will let you know when it needs to be watered in the most dramatic way ever – its leaves droop. Alternatively, this drama queen will let you know that it’s very happy by producing flowers.

Chinese Evergreen, or Aglaonema
Another low maintenance plant, the Chinese Evergreen is known for its tolerance to low light. It doesn’t require everyday watering, and best of all, it removes toxins from the air

Snake Plant, or Sansevieria
The Snake Plant is also also known as mother-in-law’s tongue or ribbon plant. It makes for excellent room dividers because the leaves grow tall. The plant has waxy, succulent leaves, so it doesn’t have to be watered every day. Snake Plants can actually go without water for a while. You can go on a two-week vacation and be welcomed back by this plant.

Spider Plant, or Chlorophytum comosum
Is one of the easiest plants to propagate because it produces “pups” which are small spider plants that you can just detach from the mother plant to grow more Spider Plants. They are very versatile and can be displayed as hanging plants or potted plants.

ZZ Plant, or Zamioculcas zamiifolia
The majestic ZZ Plant has beautiful, waxy, succulent dark leaves and thick branches. With that description, you know that it can stand without watering for a while. The plant can tolerate low lights. It’s one tough cookie that can stand a bit of neglect. As a bonus, some of the plants even produce flowers. Do not overwater this plant though, as the leaves will immediately turn yellow.

Do you have any indoor plants for the office? Which is your favorite one and why? Share your answers in the comments. Remember to stay humble and hustle hard.

Written by Jaie O. The Help

Companies encourage productivity and success but understandably frown upon inappropriate behavior. It’s an unwritten rule but most employees frown upon close personal rapport between co-workers. This is because employers want to prevent unprofessional behavior and office friendships might (but not necessarily) lead to conflicts of interest, favoritism, and abuse of authority. That’s why making and navigating office friendships can be a bit tricky in the workplace.

Workplace friendships are very different from personal friendships and have different human dynamics to consider. However, a healthy work-life balance requires having people at the workplace whom you can trust and rely on for professional guidance and work issues. So how do you navigate the professional sphere and still make friends at the workplace? Here are some hard and fast rules to live by:

Thou shalt establish boundaries
Establish your boundaries early on. In the process of making friends, small talk and office banter is a good way to ease yourself into friend circles. However, nobody can afford to chit chat the whole day. You should be able to recognize when your social interactions turn into a distraction. Discipline yourself to get back to work after a talk by the watercooler. Or get a seat away from friends so that you have an excuse to extricate yourself from conversations and get back to work.

Thou shalt include non-friends in work projects
The easiest way to collaborate is to get to work with people who you already have a connection with. We fall into the trap of picking friends to collaborate with during work projects because you already know their strengths and what they can contribute to the project. However, make sure to include non-friends in a work project. Otherwise, you won’t be able to avoid group thinking and your ideas will be homogenous. Include your other colleagues so that you get great input and new ideas.

Thou shalt not gossip
Laughing with friends at the office make colleagues outside your circle nervous. Colleagues are concerned about hearsay and having that feeling of being excluded from conversations or not being in the know. Avoid making your colleagues feel uncomfortable by including them in conversations. If a conversation with a workplace friend is starting to turn negative, have the decency to pull back and keep the conversation on track. Another good tip is to never, ever gossip – with other friends or behind people’s back. This is a generally good life tip to live by.

Thou shalt treat everyone fairly
Listen to everybody, not just friends. This is the best way to make sure you avoid real or perceived bias. Listen when others bring up an interesting topic or share information and opinion. Make everyone feel valued by giving everybody equal attention, not just those you are closest to at work.

What are your hard and fast rules regarding office friendships? Share them with us in the comments. Remember to stay humble and hustle hard!

Written by Jaie O. The Help