Natural Light in the Workplace Boosts Productivity

Think about how you feel on a gray, rainy day. Does it make you feel energized or lazy? Most people agree that they would rather lay on the couch and watch TV on a day like this. There’s something about a lack of sunlight that makes us feel sluggish and unproductive.

If we know that sunlight improves our focus and productivity, then why do so many workplaces stick their employees under fluorescent lights or in windowless rooms all day, every day? No wonder why so many workers are tired and cranky by Friday.

Natural Light in the Office Boosts Health

It’s not just a theory that natural sunlight makes us feel better. A 2014 study from Northwestern Medicine and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that office workers with more light exposure at the office had longer sleep duration, better sleep quality, more physical activity and an improved quality of life compared to office workers with less light in the office.

What can we learn from this? Work environments should make it a priority to provide their workers with ample sunlight during the day.

How to Improve Office Lighting

Ideally, the architectural design of your workplace should facilitate natural sunlight. But if your office building is old or outdated and doesn’t place an emphasis on natural sunlight, there are steps you can take to improve the aesthetics of your environment.

• Make full use of daylight by keeping window shades pulled back.
• Place machines and work spots closer to windows.
• Install fixtures that provides an optimum level of lighting.
• Choose lighting that is flexible and can be directed where it’s needed.
• Select the appropriate directions for lighting so that it doesn’t create annoying glares or shadows.
• Paint the ceilings and walls in a light color.
• Eliminate sources of distraction on the walls such as posters, forms or schedules.
• Have windows cleaned regularly and install functional window coverings.
• Maintain lighting so that it works optimally at all times.

As you work on a new layout for your office that optimizes natural light, consider some of the additional upgrades that can be made to boost productivity even further. Extra Office Interiors has an extensive selection of new and refurbished office furniture that your workers will love. Best of all, it will look perfect underneath a large window or set of skylights.