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In recent years, studies have shown that great office lighting goes a long way towards creating a work environment that improves employee health and well-being. Forbes reports that bad lighting is associated with a variety of negative health effects, both physical and mental, including:
- Eye strain
- Fatigue
- Migraines
- Stress
- Anxiety
All of this underscores the importance of having great lighting in the workplace. Below are a few ways your office in Scottsdale can use your commercial lighting to your advantage.
Create an Inspiring and Nurturing Atmosphere
Make sure your commercial lighting system has a mix of direct and indirect lights.
For starters, avoid having nothing but overhead lights with downward beam angle. A study from Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute of Industrial Engineering showed that only 70% of interviewees felt comfortable working under purely downwards-directed lighting. In contrast, 91% said a working space with both direct and indirect lighting was more pleasing and comfortable to work in. Furthermore, desk lamps that were controllable by the participants made them feel motivated and productive with their tasks.
Lights Are for People, Not Just for Tasks
Office workers who spend most of their day indoors don’t get enough exposure to natural sunlight. As a result, they can feel lethargic and have problems concentrating. They may also have sleep problems, as exposure to natural light helps regulates the body’s natural sleep wake cycle.
As such, it’s important to consider the impact of good lighting on people’s mood aside from its utilitarian aspect. Be sure to use a mixture of different types of light fixtures that your users can switch on and off to create custom light setups. For example, some workers may prefer dim overhead lighting but bright desk lamps.
Install Dimmable Lights
Being able to change a task light’s brightness gives workers the ability to choose the level of lighting that best allows them to focus and be productive. If they want bright light that lets them see things in clear detail, they simply need to turn their lights up. On the other hand, if they want softer lighting (ideal as the day ends) for having meetings and conversations over the phone, they can simply turn the lights down low.
Seasonal Lights
No, this isn’t referring to holiday lights. If you’re in a part of the world that experiences the different seasons, then it’s common to experience the blues during the colder months where there’s less sunlight available. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a kind of depression that’s linked to the lack of exposure to sunlight.
A great way to help your staff beat the blues is to use lighting that actually mimics natural sunlight. Many modern light bulbs, such as LEDs, have a color temperature that’s very close to actual sunlight, so your workspaces can stay cheerful and sunny even in the middle of winter.
These are just some of the things that you can do with your lighting system to help keep staff happy and productive. Although workplace lighting might not sound like such a big deal, keeping your staff under the right lighting can make a huge difference on their well-being and motivation to work.
