Could the Lighting in Your Workplace be Office Productivity?

Workplace Lighting and the Effects on Office Productivity

Is your workplace suffering from poor office productivity? Then, providing adequate lighting may be the answer; leading to a range of positive affects in the workplace environment.

Learning to appreciate the advantages of good lighting, as well as the disadvantages of bad office lighting is pivotal. So important, that ultimately it may make the difference between simply breaking even, or making a profit in your business.

Remember, happy employees are more productive employees!

We are all aware that employees who enjoy what they do are happier, and more productive in their job role. A range of contributing factors influence employee moods and one of the easiest ways is often the one most overlooked.

A study conducted by the American Society of Interior Design found that over 68% of employees surveyed complained about poor lighting in their workplaces.

 

68%! That’s huge, almost three-quarters of those surveyed thought that lighting in their workplace was poor or could be improved. The two biggest complaints being that lighting was either too bright and harsh or too dull and dim.

There are obvious drawbacks when it comes to dim/dull lighting such as eye strain, headaches, drowsiness, and trouble focusing. Similarly if a workplace has harsh lighting, it will also inevitably affect an employee’s ability to focus for extended periods.

So how can you fix the poor and inadequate lighting in your workplace?

Natural light! There are always going to be problems providing every employee with a window, it just isn’t practical for every office. Nevertheless providing premium lighting solutions does not have to cost a fortune. Adding a desk lamp to existing lights, often known as “task lighting” illuminates the focus area, providing optimal visual conditions.

Whilst fluorescent lights are often favoured for their affordability, “warm white” or “daylight” bulbs are much better for the eyes.

 

A study conducted by University of Surrey’s sleep research centre compared alertness levels of those working in different lighting conditions.  Staff at RS Components took part in the trial and replaced standard white light tubes with a blue enhanced light. The study concluded that blue lighting suppresses sleep hormones that regulates sleep/wake cycles and as a result improves alertness levels. So no wonder 92% of staff preferred the lighting and the company made blue lighting a permanent feature!

Final Thought

Even a slight improvement could increase and improve productivity, employee retention; attendance, improved morale, and saving on expensive power bills. Check out these 10 Tips to Improve Productivity at Work. 

 

So how does the lighting in your workplace stand up? Is there a way you could make some easy alterations to improve conditions for your employees? Please feel free to comment and share the article and let us know of any changes you have made in your company!

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