What is the right type of lighting for an office?

Workplace productivity is always a hot topic. You want to keep your employees happy and productive but you also have a bottom line to maintain. With new recommendations popping up daily it’s hard to know what information is valuable and what is not. What we have found is lots of companies are speaking to us about boosting their employees productivity through lighting, so we did some research and this is what we have found.

Artificial Lighting = Bad
Artificial lights, whether they’re dim or bright, are not a good idea when it comes to illuminating your office.

Dim Lighting
Dim lighting is inadequate for offices and working environments because it causes eye strain and headaches. It forces your eyes to work much harder in order to see and can cause drowsiness and a lack of focus which naturally will de-motivate and un-inspire your employees.

Harsh/Bright Lighting
Harsh and bright lighting might seem like the most sensible way to combat dim lighting but like most things, the most obvious answer is not often the right one. Fluorescent lighting also causes eye strain and headaches because the lights are often too bright and makes it difficult for your eyes to focus especially if your employees are also working on computers.

Natural Lighting = Good
A study conducted in Britain and published in “The Responsible Workplace” shows that windows are a direct factor in the occupants level of satisfaction with an office space. This is because natural light affects the human body in the way of affecting how we feel and what we see. In addition, it is also proven to affect our behaviour, mood and hormonal balance.

Natural lighting can result in your employees being happier which can result in less absenteeism. Ultimately, natural lighting will encourage happier workers as they will not feel trapped inside the office which can result in increased productivity.

So what do you do with this information? Sometimes it is not possible to work in a space that uses only natural light, you need to find the right balance. That’s where we come in, contact us to see how we can help motivate your team with the right lighting.