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The Importance of Office Lighting

Lighting does more than brighten the workplace. It directly affects the mood, energy level, and productivity of employees.

When designing the office environment, employers must consider how the lighting will work to create a space to help employees stay alert, creative, and energised.

Making The Most Of Natural Light

The Harvard Business Review discovered that access to natural light is the number one attribute wanted in the workplace. The study also found that the absence of natural lighting affects the overall employee experience. For example, 47% of employees feel tired and 43% report feeling gloomy. With many studies finding similar results, it is essential to maximise and take advantage of the natural lighting within the workplace.

The workplace is often designed so that executive offices have large windows, while lower-level employees’ desks have limited natural light. Revising floorplans to create an open space with windows and skylights placed in these areas allows all employees exposure to natural light and employers can create an inclusive environment benefiting all. Airbnb has designed its offices globally with this in mind, ensuring all staff have exposure to natural light throughout their workday.

Air BnB Offices

While this may not always be possible, the use of daylight bulbs, which emit similar levels of lumination to that of sunlight, can positively affect employee well-being, increase energy and concentration levels.

Personal Control

Pinpointing the best lighting for the workplace and individual employees can be challenging. Traditionally, offices offer a standard brightness level. However, office designs should now offer task lighting solutions that provide personal control for employees. Depending on their work, employees may need adequate brightness to focus on detail-orientated tasks or dim lighting, which has been proven to spark creativity.

A Journal of Environmental Psychology study found that having personal control over lighting in the workplace can make a difference to employee job satisfaction and happiness levels. It is worth considering dimmable lighting at every workstation, and meeting rooms should also have this option installed.

Colour Choices

Colour temperature is the light appearance emitted from the light bulb. The look and feel of a space can be significantly affected by colour temperature. Therefore, it is an important consideration when planning a space. For example, cooler bulbs will offer a more energising light, and warmer, yellow, and orange tones tend to be better for relaxing.

If possible, the colour temperature should vary based on the time of day. In the morning, the light should be bright and cool to help employees start the day alert and aid with concentration. As the day goes on, the lighting should become warmer, helping employees wind down.

Make Light a Feature

Modern office designs have been using lighting fixtures to create a statement. Using lighting as a feature is a functional way of showcasing a company’s style and culture. A trend that is seen throughout many young start-ups is neon lighting. It is a fun way to brighten a space while making an impact.