Office lighting can greatly influence your team’s productivity. Effective office lighting also impacts their energy levels and motivation to work. Poor-quality lighting can cause headaches, eyestrain, and irritability, which may make employees feel fatigued.
In order to avoid these issues, you must be willing to make changes to your building’s current lighting systems. We’re here to explore the dos and don’ts of office lighting so that you can create a working environment that promotes productivity.
Do: Look Into LED Light Bulbs
The first step is figuring out which type of light bulbs you want to use in your office. Your choice can significantly affect the quality of light in your workspace and your team’s motivation and productivity. Many business owners are switching to LEDs. They are energy efficient, provide clear illumination, and emit significantly less heat than traditional bulbs.
Don’t: Rely on Fluorescent Lighting
Fluorescent lighting is another common choice of lighting in offices. This type of lighting is common due to its high efficiency and low cost. However, fluorescent lights can cause a range of health issues, including headaches, eye strain, fatigue, and even migraines. Moreover, this lighting can negatively affect mood, creativity, and energy levels.
While we don’t recommend fluorescents, you could install filters or shields to reduce glare and flicker if you must use this lighting option. The filters can reduce the negative effects of fluorescents. Generally speaking, it is not recommended to mix fluorescent lighting with warm LEDs as the variation in color temperatures is visually distracting too.
Do: Optimize Natural Lighting
Interior lighting systems are necessary for an office environment, but you should still use natural light sources whenever and wherever possible. Nothing beats the real thing, and natural lighting has numerous benefits for office spaces, including improved mood and productivity among team members and lower energy costs.
When designing your workspace, take advantage of natural light sources such as windows or skylights. Position workstations near these light sources to ensure employees get the most out of natural lighting. With sufficient natural lighting throughout the office space, it’s possible to see improved employee performance, attendance, and health!
Don’t: Ignore Glare and Reflection
Unfortunately, two problems with natural lighting to take into consideration are glare and reflections. While these issues can also come from computer screens and other reflective surfaces, they are most prominent when the sun comes through windows. Glare and reflections can cause eye strain and affect concentration, so make an effort to reduce them.
You can do that by investing in anti-glare screens and monitor filters. If you can’t buy those at the moment, you should position office equipment in a way that avoids reflective surfaces. Do this by installing blinds or drapes to control sunlight and glare levels.
Do: Create a Lighting Plan
If you’re starting from scratch on your office’s lighting, develop a lighting plan to outline the variety and levels of lighting throughout the office. Space, budget, and employee needs can guide your lighting decisions. Making a plan ensures each area of the office receives adequate lighting, which can result in a comfortable and collaborative environment that enhances productivity among team members. An optimal lighting plan combines task lighting, overhead lighting, and natural light, so use all of them as needed. Your lighting supplier or manufacturer can also assist in creating a lighting layout to ensure proper lighting levels.
Don’t: Rely on Overhead Lighting Alone
When designing your lighting layout, it’s easy to get fixated on overhead lighting. It’s common in many offices but can lead to harsh lighting conditions, glare, shadows, and inconsistent lighting throughout the day. On top of that, too much overhead lighting can cause headaches, eye strain, and other health issues for employees.
Invest in quality task lighting that illuminates individual workspaces. You can achieve this by purchasing desk lamps and other types of fixtures that your team members can adjust to their needs, resulting in more comfortable work conditions and greater employee satisfaction. Make sure you get the right bulbs for these fixtures. For instance, the LED A19 light bulb is perfect for many desk lamps thanks to its dimmable properties.
Do: Consider Color Temperatures
Color temperature, measured in Kelvin (K), refers to the warmth or coolness of light. Selecting appropriate color temperatures for your workspace can improve mood and productivity among employees. For instance, cool white light (5000-6500K) is ideal for work areas requiring intense concentration, while warm white light (2700-3000K) is appropriate in relaxation areas or break rooms. Be sure to adjust your lights as necessary for each room in your office building.
Don’t: Choose Lighting Based Solely on Brightness
While working in a bright space might seem like the most productive environment, it’s possible to overdo it. At the same time, you don’t want to overcompensate with dim lighting. If the lighting is too dim, employees could become tired much faster than usual, leading to slower outputs and reduced motivation. Try to find an intensity level of lighting based on the type of tasks employees perform and the layout of the workspace. You might have to play around with the brightness to find the ideal setting.
Do: Use Lighting Controls
The key thing to recognize when learning the dos and don’ts of office lighting and improving productivity is that the ideal color temperature and brightness levels will vary depending on employee preference. Choosing color selectable lamps and fixtures will allow greater flexibility in customizing your lighting. Additionally, installing lighting controls—dimmer switches, occupancy sensors, timers, and remote controls—whenever possible, add additional customization and flexibility in your space.
Occupancy sensors detect movement and automatically turn on or off lights in response, which can be useful in spaces with erratic usage. Dimmer switches allow users to adjust brightness based on the time of day, type of task, or preference. You can use timers to schedule lighting and avoid wasting electricity.
Regardless of the controls you decide to use in your place of business, they will help you and your employees create a productive work environment. Of course, you need lights to control them in the first place! Fortunately, Stylighting has plenty of bulbs to choose from that are ideal for any corporate environment. Browse our website to find the bulbs that’ll work best for your place of business.
