Did you know that lighting has a major impact on employee health and performance?
It has the potential to boost productivity, improve employees' moods, and even impact how they make decisions. Safe to say that lighting has a more significant role in office design than you might think.
With the right office lighting, you can significantly improve your employee's overall performance in the long run.
If the office lighting is too dim, it will make your employees frequently tired and lethargic. On the other hand, if it is too bright, they will likely be too emotional and it may even cause headaches.
The perfect lighting in an office will help employees stay energized, productive, and dedicated to providing their 100% at the office at all times. Unfortunately, finding this balance of the right lighting can be difficult at times. Luckily, we have compiled a thorough guide for you on the best tips to keep in mind when redesigning the lighting of your workspace to make it efficient and illuminated.
Importance of Lighting in an Office
If you have worked in an office that is poorly lit, has too many bright overhead lights, or has any flickering lights, you might be aware of how light tends to impact the way we work. In many ways, it can make or break the efficiency of the entire office.
Moreover, it also affects how other people view and perceive the office. An office with the right lighting will be able to tell people that it is a modern, functional, and progressive business. Besides this, lighting tends to have an implicit effect on how employees work as well. For example, poor lighting will make employees feel lethargic, tired, and sleepy. Hence, they will not be able to meet deadlines or achieve work-related goals. Moreover, bright lighting can make employees emotional and more likely to fight and argue.
Having employees feel lethargic or too emotional regularly in such a way can actually be damaging in the long run. When they don't feel great, they will get sick often. As a result, your company will suffer. Here are some of the main negative effects poor lighting can have on employees:
Eye strain that can lead to migraines and headaches
Constant discomfort
Drowsiness and lethargy
Sleep disruptions that affect overall health
Tiredness and fatigue
You can avoid all of these issues simply by providing better lighting to employees. All in all, it can have a detrimental impact on employee health, performance, and the company.
Office Lighting Ideas and Tips
Office lighting might seem like a simple decision for most individuals, but in reality, it really is not. The right kind of illumination and lighting depends on the office and its unique needs. There are multiple factors one needs to take into consideration. They include the following:
Natural vs. Artificial Lighting
The first consideration you have to make is whether to opt for natural or artificial lighting. Both have their specific advantages and drawbacks, which is why the perfect lighting in a workplace includes the right balance and combination of the two. Ideally, there should be more natural light in the office than artificial light.
Your office should not entirely comprise artificial lighting, but also include a good amount of natural lighting. Natural light is undoubtedly the best kind of light for humans because it provides a plethora of benefits. It will help energize individuals, provide them with vitamin D, and make them feel relaxed. Therefore, you should ensure that your workplace has access to plenty of natural light through windows.
However, you should be mindful of how natural light interacts with artificial lights in the workplace. For example, if you have a task and accent lighting in the office, combining them with natural light can potentially cause a lot of glare.
Consider Installing LED Lights
LED lights are the best option for a workplace or even the house because they help save costs in the long run. However, most offices are fitted with fluorescent bulbs because they are cheap and can illuminate a large area. But these lights can dim with age and cause problems like buzzing sounds and flickering. LED lights don't cause any such problems.
Another benefit of LED lights is that they are cost and energy-efficient in the long run. They don't also cause any environmental problems that fluorescent lights typically do and they can run for hours.
Utilize Natural Light
As mentioned earlier, natural light is an excellent resource to have in the workplace. It can brighten up any office and make it more welcoming and relaxing. Not to mention, when you have too much natural light in an office, you are cutting costs by not having that much artificial light. However, you must ensure that you don't overdo it with too much natural light. While such light does provide benefits, it also has considerable drawbacks if used in an excessive amount.
For example, too much natural light can drive up the temperature and make the office warmer. It can also cause too much glare on computer screens which can make it uncomfortable for employees while working.
Ideally, there should be plenty of natural light available in the office through windows, but it should be regulated. For example, with the help of blinds. This way, employees will be able to utilize natural light efficiently with artificial lightings, such as, by adjusting the glare on the screen.
Install a Lighting Control System
When you install a lighting control system in an office, you are essentially reducing long-term costs and using energy efficiently. Not to mention, it lets you adjust the level and intensity of lighting according to your needs and in different rooms of the office.
Such flexibility is vital in an office space, especially the modern kind, which is why it should be considered if you are redesigning your office. Such controls can be installed through curtains and blinds in the windows, power switches, and dimmers.
Get a Task Lamp for Every Workstation
Ambient lighting is yet another essential lighting design element that modern offices should have. Just having overhead lighting will make it too harsh and bright in the office, which is why it is essential to have ambient lighting. The best way to incorporate ambient lighting is by having task lamps installed in every workstation. Therefore, all workstations should have an easy-to-use and flexible task lamp.
The best choice is undoubtedly the task lamp from FlexiSpot. The lighting can easily be adjusted based on its intensity and where you are pointing it towards. If employees have frequent work that involves writing and drawing or reading, they should definitely have a task light from FlexiSpot. This will help them work efficiently and comfortably by personalizing the lighting according to how they like it.
Consider the Positioning of the Light
You may follow all of these tips, but if you don't give thought to the positioning of your light, then your office lighting would still not be at the perfect level. You should come up with a meticulous and strategic plan to place the lighting in different areas of the office.
One thing to remember when creating such a plan is that you should not install large lighting right on top of employees and their workstations. Similarly, the natural light source should be in front of, next to, or above workstations. If it is directly behind the computer screens then it will cause glare on them when the sunlight gets too bright.
Ensure Maintenance of the Lights
To get the most out of your light system and design in the office, you should follow proper maintenance procedures. You should change the dimming bulbs regularly. Or better yet, you can instead opt for lighting that does not require too much maintenance, such as LED task lamps from FlexiSpot since they have a longer lifespan.
The more maintenance procedures you follow, the longer your lighting system will function without any problems.
Prevent Flicker
Besides preventing glare, your office should also prevent any kind of flicker, even the one that is not visible to the naked eye. This is because it can get distracting and annoying, and so, employees will not be able to work at their maximum productivity levels. It can also lead to eyestrain and headaches.
Some of the ways you can prevent flicker are through installing good quality lights and regularly maintaining them. You should also change any bulb or light that is not functioning properly since it might be flickering.
Final Words
All in all, perfect lighting is an essential element to incorporate into the workplace. It can lead to numerous long-term benefits for employees and the company.
The best way to incorporate excellent lighting is through a combination of artificial and natural light. You should have plenty of windows in the office and integrate them with task lighting through a task lamp from FlexiSpot. These are not only highly functional, but they also look great on a workstation. Visit FlexiSpot for more information on this incredible product!
