Lighting has a major impact on workforce productivity. When lighting is poor, a work environment suffers. But why? How can businesses leverage lighting to force their staff to be more productive?
Lighting has a way of boosting moods, making people feel relaxed or making them more eager to work.
But the wrong lighting can have the opposite effect. When the lighting is poor, it can lead to a dreaded workplace where productivity barely exists.
Let’s see how lighting can be used to create a workspace that’s optimal for staff and employer goals.
Base Lighting Off of the Facts
Lighting has the potential to increase productivity by 36%. Imagine a business being able to be a third more productive. Work deadlines would be hit with greater ease, customers would be happier and the business could handle more work.
High standards for lighting and interior design can boost efficiency.
And when working at a workstation, 91% of employees prefer direct / indirect lighting. The ideal situation is to allow the light to be controllable. Employees have different needs. Some employees like their lighting dim to focus, while others prefer direct light to make sure that the workspace is bright and illuminated.
The American Society of Interior Design found that 68% of employees complain about their office’s lighting situation.
Offer Lighting Control Options
Employers might not understand the needs of their employees. You have a lot of lighting options, from bright LED lighting to mid-century lighting, but what if one employee likes one style and the other a completely different style?
Wouldn’t you like to meet the needs of all your employees?
It’s difficult to do, but one way to accommodate all workers is to provide them with controls for their workstations. Individual controls allow each employee to adjust their own lighting, making everyone happy in the process.
If you want to keep your employees happy, lighting controls seem to be the right choice. This may be a costly process, so don’t feel bad implementing individual lighting controls slowly through different departments.
Introduce Natural Lighting into the Workspace
Natural lighting is free, and allowing natural light into the workspace can boost productivity. Of course, the lighting needs to be able to be controlled. You may need to have blinds or other means of controlling the light to keep glares to a minimum on screens.
But energy efficient windows that allow natural light in can boost productivity.
Sunlight does a lot of good for your employees. One study found that natural sunlight helped employees sleep better and longer at night. The end result? Employees were more efficient and energetic for the next work day.
One study claims that sunlight can lead to a 15% boost in creativity – that’s huge.
Employees will experience a boost in well-being and mood when some sunlight is added into the workspace.
An added benefit is that sunlight will work to warm a space, lower electric and energy bills, and provide annual savings to employers.
Tailor Light to the Demands of the Space
Lighting can create a mood, and this mood is what many employers are seeking to control. A mood that is productive is ideal, but what happens when the employee moves into the break room?
Does the employee want to be productive, or relaxed?
Lighting needs to match the function of the room. For example, let’s say that customers walk into an office where a meeting is being held. Warm lighting would be the appropriate choice because warm lighting has been shown to provide a sense of comfort to people.
Dim lighting may be used in an area of the workplace where workers go to relax.
If the space’s mood and needs are determined, it will be much easier to adjust the room’s lighting to meet the needs of the room.
Otherwise, you’re just guessing on what type of lighting may work best.
There’s also a lot to say about interior design for productivity. A space that is cluttered and chaotic may not work in the offices of Google, where developers need to have the utmost focus and concentration on the task at hand.
Interior design changes, along with prominent lighting changes, can go a long way in ensuring that your business’s space is inviting, comforting and boosting productivity.
