LIGHTING SEIZE THE DAY


Jon Theis, Director of TheisCraft, outlines how important it is to upgrade office lighting to improve the health and happiness of employees.


There is no doubt that the pandemic has changed how we live our lives. Lockdowns, a public health crisis and remote working have revolutionised public attitudes towards work-life balance, mental and physical health — and it seems these shifts are here to stay.


So, now that health and wellbeing are at the forefront of people’s attention, businesses are looking for ways to improve working environments for their employees. According to an Office of National Statistics survey on business and individual attitudes towards the future of homeworking, 85% of working adults favour a ‘hybrid’ working model moving forward.


As a result, the way we are using office spaces is changing. Many organisations are rethinking their office designs to incorporate more thoughtful spaces that prioritise comfort whilst improving productivity.


One crucial element of creating a healthy working environment that people often overlook is optimising office lighting.


The impact of poor-quality lighting Since pandemic restrictions were lifted earlier this year, many businesses have made an eager return to office working. But if there is one thing no one has missed, it is harsh, fluorescent office lighting.


Poorly designed lighting is not just hard to look at — the quality of the lighting in office spaces could be having a significant impact on the health and productivity of workers. Our bodies are intuitively tuned in to natural light cycles. Circadian rhythms (our internal body clock, which sends signals from our brain to tell our bodies when to be alert and when to rest) react to light, influencing the amount and quality of sleep we get.


Employees are a company’s greatest asset, so if staff are working in a sub-optimal environment that is impacting their sleep and causing energy levels to drop, businesses stand to lose out — both in results and employee satisfaction. With the job market more competitive than ever, companies need to prioritise working conditions for employees if they wish to minimise staff turnover and boost retention.


Sparking productivity with


thoughtful lighting designs To create an optimised workspace, you have to start with a good lighting design. But first, it is vital to understand how different light temperatures and brightness can change our mood.


People tend to refer to light temperature (Kelvin) as a spectrum from ‘cool’ to ‘warm’. Cool lighting has a bright white, almost blueish hue; this is the type of light


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that makes you feel alert. On the other hand, warm light is a yellow or orange tone and is more conducive for relaxation.


An office space that uses the same level of harsh light throughout the day can disrupt natural cycles and prevent workers from winding down. This leaves building inhabitants feeling burned out and contributes to fragmented sleep, headaches, eye strain and more — all of which negatively impact effective working. Therefore, natural circadian rhythms can benefit from a low-intensity, warm light in the morning and evening and a cooler, more energising light during the main part of the day.


Research has shown that employees who are exposed to natural light throughout the working day report 84% less eye strain, headaches and blurred vision. So, why not just build an office with floor to ceiling windows to let in as much natural light as possible? Not only is natural light unpredictable, but sharp shadows and glare on computer screens can be just as disruptive. As such, to provide the recommended illumination levels across workstations, lighting designs must be adaptable to the needs of every building to create the ideal working environment.


Therefore, the ideal lighting for office spaces strikes a balance between natural and artificial light, adapting with varying light intensity throughout the day. That is why facilities managers are increasingly choosing intelligent lighting controls to moderate the quality of light in commercial buildings.


Optimising working environments


with lighting controls Implementing lighting controls in buildings is an easy way of providing the adaptability and control essential for modern work environments.


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