Having a focused and productive workforce at all times is the dream for business owners and employers, but there are so many layers to achieving high productivity and focus in employees from enhancing comfort to efficient tech. Lighting plays a bigger part in the attitude and performance of your employees than you may have once thought, and can be a big element into getting your employers in the right frame of mind to work and to maintain that productivity throughout the day. A Rrecent study by the American Society of Interior Designers showed that 68 percent of employees were dissatisfied about the lighting situation in their offices so how can you perfect your office lighting to inspire a more focused workforce?

Natural Lighting

There are hundreds and hundreds of social, career and psychology studies that have proven time and time again that natural light offers the best solution when it comes to lighting up your office on a daily basis. Not only will offering more natural light in your office inspire focus and motivation in your team, but will cut electricity bills in no time at all. When planning your office layout you should try to have your desks set up to face or be next to the windows, to really get the most of that natural light on offer, that is proven to boost mood and productivity in office workers.

Wave Goodbye to Fluorescent Lighting

Modern offices commonly use fluorescent lighting because it’s super affordable and easy to install or replace. However, fluorescent bulbs have a history of being hazardous and harmful. Not only can they be harmful to your office due to overheating and faulty bulbs, they can also have a direct impact on your employees health from eye strain due to their rapid flickering and are a major cause of eye strain and focusing issues in workplaces where they are fitted. Removing fluorescent lighting from your office should be your priority, and replacing them with artificial lighting solutions that are safer is essential.

Personal Lighting Perks

Personal lighting is another lighting option that employees can really benefit from both to boost their mood and their productivity. Allowing employees to tailor their lighting to suit their own personal needs to benefit their working environment is a great solution and will allow employees to feel like they have some control over their surroundings. For working on computers, well-distributed diffuse light is best – bright light as well as dim lighting can cause eye strain and mood changes – so consider low-level desk/workstation lamps as opposed to relying upon powerful ceiling light fittings.

Colour & Temperature Matters

The colour and temperature of your lighting necessary for your office should be tailored to the particular needs of the different areas of your office. The colour and temperature of your lighting can have different effects on moods and atmospheres that can be created, for example yellow and orange toned lighting is said to be more relaxing and comforting. To get the most out of the colour and temperature benefits when it comes to using lighting to influence better mood and productivity levels, you should try to change the temperature of the lighting over the course of the day. In the morning, brighter and cooler lighting is preferred and in the late afternoon, lighting should be warmer.

ROI

Of course, as a final thought, the cost of replacing/reworking you internal office lighting can be seen as an unnecessary outlay, particularly in the current economic climate, but modern power saving lighting and bulbs (such as LEDs) can cut your power bills and thus the initial outlay will be recouped many fold over the coming years.