Good lighting is vital in the workplace and it’s important to get it right as it has a greater impact on an employee’s productivity and well-being than you may realise.
Good lighting includes both natural and artificial light, which all working environments need in order to keep and maintain a happy, healthy, and productive working environment.
Natural Light
Being exposed to natural light is important for us humans. We thrive on natural light but have created a world in which we spend much of our time indoors where access to it is limited. Natural light is known to boost energy and serotonin levels, something especially important for those working in the workspace. Studies have shown a significant difference between employees who work under artificial light and those who work under a mix of artificial and natural light, with a 40% increase in productivity for those taking in the natural daylight during their working hours.
How to utilise Natural Light in Workspaces:
Open Plan Spaces
Try to reconfigure your spaces to allow for as much natural light to pour in as possible. By having an open plan space, you can allow for light to shine through windows and move around the space freely, without being blocked by rows or desking or dividers creating a barrier to the light.
Incorporate outdoor space
Utilise outdoor spaces like rooftops and garden spaces as workspaces, that can be used in good weather offering staff an opportunity to work outdoors, have meetings or simply eat their lunch.
Brighten space with colour
The colours in your workspace can make a significant difference in how natural light is utilised. Darker colours, including shades of grey and white often absorb light. In contrast, lighter and brighter colours like oranges, greens and yellows will reflect light, creating a more productive and relaxed workspace.
Artifical light
Where natural light is harder to come by, other lighting solutions can be built-in through the right kind of product procurement. LED lighting especially offers benefits in both sustainability and wellbeing, using less energy and lasting longer than classic and fluorescent light features, while also most closely mimicking the quality of natural light.
How to integrate Artificial light into workspaces:
Window Coverings
You can improve natural light by changing out any broken window coverings and replacing them with blinds that can be fully extended, retracted and tilted, so the light can be angled to suit all employ
Energy saving light bulbs
Find energy saving lighting that’ll save you money and provide better quality light for your employees. Investing in the latest LED technology will mean that you won’t have to change bulbs as often and they’re durable, meaning that you can turn them on and off as much as you like without affecting their output.
Office space
Consider where your employees are working from (computer desks, close to windows or away from any light at all). Think about taking down office dividers to allow the natural light to flow through the entire space.
Lighting Solutions for Remote Working:
With the home office such an integral part of our working lives, lighting is a key part of an ergonomic home set-up. Where possible, make sure that you work by a window, either facing it or at up to a ninety-degree angle, in order to maximise the wellbeing benefits of natural light and minimise screen glare. It’s best to also have a warmer desk light available, so that you can easily switch between the kind of light you need at any particular moment for certain tasks.
Source: Emily Hannan TC Group