Studies have shown that office lighting plays a major role in employee productivity. Is your lighting optimal for worker performance?

Studies have shown that lighting plays a major role in employee productivity. Is your lighting optimal for your colleagues performance?

Smart organizations know that enhancing the performance of their people keeps companies growing and actively innovating. Thoughtful lighting design can be a powerful tool to increase employee performance. There are real costs associated with not addressing lighting issues at work and they could be fixed with the simple change of the rooflights over your colleagues work station. Lighting — the good, the bad, and the ugly — can have a significant impact on your concentration and your productivity. In fact, your overall feeling of health and well-being can change with just the flick of a switch.

Recent research highlighted by Philips Systems shows a significant link between light and circadian rhythms, otherwise known as the “built-in clocks” that determine your sleep cycle, stimulation, and relaxation. Lighting has also been found to decrease depression and improve mood, energy, alertness, and productivity.

Given that a study conducted by the American Society of Interior Design revealed that 68 percent of employees complain about the lighting situation in their offices, how can businesses design their workspaces with lighting that delivers the optimal place for employees to think, create, and collaborate?

To learn more about the costs associated with not addressing lighting issues in the workplace, we have done extensive research on the subject.

Natural light is incomparably preferable to any other form of light – but with control on the tints and level of lighting vital to comfort.

Important studies such as those by HOK in the use found that “ based on the work that we have done, that control of an environment, whether it be lighting or temperature, helps people feel better about their perceived productivity,” said Emily Dunn, a senior consultant based in HOK’s New York office. This lighting flexibility allows employees to create the atmosphere they need to be productive at work.

Daylight Enhances Human Performance In collaboration with Dechert Law Office in Washington, D.C., HOK designed a flexible environment “create airy volumes that blur the distinction between interior and perimeter space.”

HOK also incorporated daylight features to help employees regulate their circadian rhythms. When these rhythms are offset, people experience stress, but a building that incorporates daylight can enhance human performance. In fact, a report by the World Green Building Council found that workers exposed to daylight are 18 percent more productive.

Related Article: Stop Wasting Time: Tips to Raise Productivity and Reduce Procrastination Lighting Design Depends on the Atmosphere You Want to Create

Smart organizations know that enhancing the performance of their people keeps companies growing and actively innovating. Thoughtful lighting design can be a powerful tool to increase employee performance. There are real costs associated with not addressing lighting issues at work and they could be fixed with the simple change of the rooflights over your colleagues work station.