Lighting has been proven in many studies to significantly influence your employees' productivity, but it may also affect them in good and bad ways. Our circadian rhythms – our bodies' internal clocks – are influenced by lighting. This impacts our sleep and our performance, emotion, physical function, alertness, and health.
The sort of lighting you're exposed to may make a tremendous impact. Since we spend so much of our time at work, we must pick our workplace lighting wisely. This article will examine how good and poor lighting influences our health and productivity and discuss the importance of proper office lighting in creating the ideal working atmosphere.
Light's Natural Effect on Worker Productivity
Humans are diurnal animals (opposite of nocturnal). Our biological clocks are programmed to adjust to natural sunlight. For this reason, shifting time zones in a brief time span causes us to suffer from jet lag. Since most of us are more productive throughout the day, it's only logical that our workplace lighting should be similar to natural sunshine. This may be difficult if the workplace is situated amid massive buildings that block sunlight or if it is placed in basements, for example. Designers must treat the lighting system effectively in these instances. The electrical contractors you hire for your office can devise a strategy for creating a good atmosphere in any workplace.
5 Problems Caused by Insufficient Office Lighting
Damaged fuses, blown-out light bulbs, flickering lights, and poorly illuminated places are dangerous and detrimental to employees. Many lighting issues go unaddressed because health and safety management don't always appreciate how harmful insufficient illumination is to the workplace environment.
Here are some of the harmful consequences of insufficient workplace illumination on employees:
Mood and Prospects
Walking into a dingy, poorly-lit workplace will significantly influence an employee's enthusiasm during office hours. There has been a strong link between workplace atmosphere and productivity. Thus, having a well-lit environment is essential.
Fatigue in The Workplace
Workers may be oblivious to the strain their eyes are under while attempting to operate in dimly illuminated workplaces. However, this adds up over time, resulting in a tired workforce, which will never operate at its best.
Employee Health in the Short-Term
Trying to function in poorly lit places might produce migraines and eye strain related to exhaustion. The combination of these two will only lead to terrible performance. Your employees will be counting down the minutes until they can leave because of these short-term ailments, which will have a detrimental impact on the company's culture.
Employee Long-Term Health
Fatigue-related concerns such as musculoskeletal disorders and postural problems might have a long-term negative impact even after they have stopped working. Poor illumination causes mental weariness, which quickly turns into physical exhaustion. This causes them to slump at their workstations, which may become a serious issue over time.
Hazards in the Workplace
Appropriate illumination is critical in locations where there are high-risk circumstances, such as operating heavy equipment. Dimly lighted settings, along with natural drowsiness, might provide employees with a false feeling of security, lowering their attentiveness. Accidents in locations that aren't well illuminated may expose the property owner to different health issues. For persons with epilepsy, flickering fluorescent lights may potentially be a trigger.
4 Things to Think About When Selecting Office Lighting
When deciding what sort of lighting is necessary for your office, there are many aspects to consider:
The sort of work that is being done: If there is heavy equipment in the workstation, intense illumination is essential. If working on desktops and laptops is the primary activity, then just a softer light is essential to reduce screen reflection.
Office demographics: If your employees are old, they will demand a stronger light source to function correctly. Young individuals need less light since their vision usually is superior, but research has shown that they are more influenced by the atmosphere in the workplace, so a brilliantly lit room will have a more significant impact on overall mood.
Financial: Installing or upgrading to LED bulbs in the workplace might save money long term due to LED lighting's longer lifetime and lower maintenance requirements. ILB and CFL lighting systems are more ecologically friendly than LED lighting. Make sure to learn more about LED lighting's advantages.
Go solar: If you have the opportunity to place photovoltaic solar panels on the business property, we strongly advise you to do so. You will save money if you install a sustainable energy system. A PV solar panel system may be readily installed and integrated with the present office lighting system.
Proper Office Lighting Has Many Benefits!
According to studies, adequate lighting increases productivity and reduces mistakes by up to 60%.
Proper workplace lighting boosts productivity because natural light keeps our circadian cycle in tune with our surroundings, but artificial lighting may disrupt or confound these rhythms.
Research published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine revealed that office employees exposed to more natural light had a higher quality of life, greater physical activity, and better sleep quality than those who worked in windowless surroundings. Employees who work in natural light are generally happier and healthier.
In a nutshell, appropriate workplace lighting encourages:
Workplace accuracy and focus tend to improve.
Health concerns and workplace accidents are less likely.
Enhanced productivity as a result of enhanced visibility and accuracy.
A cleaner, brighter workstation creates a more joyful and energetic workplace.
What Are the Many Types of Lights Available for Offices?
The amount of daylight that penetrates inside a structure is determined by its design (does the property have windows?). How large is it? The quantity and direction of sunshine, cloud cover, local geography, and the season are all factors to consider. It's also crucial to keep the windows clean. Tinted glass, window shades, curtains, and awnings may all be used to regulate the amount of light that enters the office. Daylight is beneficial in the workplace if it does not induce glare or overly brighten the workspace.
Remember that not enough light may be an issue. Thus, having a decent electric lighting system is vital even in abundant daylight.
Depending on the kind of electric lighting, the quantity of light, the color of the light, and the color of things that appear vary. The illumination should be appropriate for the workspace and the job at hand. The following are some of the most prevalent bulb kinds.
Our Top Recommendations for Office Lighting
The Modern Table Lamp by FlexiSpot is the perfect table side lamp that doesn't occupy too much space either. It can provide employees with great lighting for desk work like filing, writing, reading documents, and more.
It comes with an extra-long cord of 72 inches (6 feet), allowing you to move it around to any space you need it. The lamp is made with high-quality, sturdy wood and metal to ensure it has a longer lifespan. You can rest assured that it will not get dents or scratches quickly due to the materials' quality.
The lamp comes with a 9 Watt LED bulb that provides impressive light. It comes in a matte black color that goes with pretty much any office aesthetic, too, especially when combined with the natural tones of the wood. It has a 21-and-a-half-inch height, and the holder is adjustable so that you can move the light around as per your needs. It works with a basic on and off switch, making it pretty easy to use.
In Conclusion
Office managers and owners need to create a suitable environment for their employees to work in. If you have inadequate lighting, it can harm your employees' health and make it harder for them to work. With better office lighting, you will be able to improve workflow, productivity, and your employees' overall mood and health. We hope this article helped you understand the importance of proper office lighting!
