Workplace Lighting: Best Lighting for Your Office

29 Oct Workplace Lighting: Best Lighting for Your Office

People receive about 85 percent of their information through their sense of sight, so it’s important for them to have enough light to do their jobs effectively, and that starts with getting your workplace lighting right.

The appropriate use of daylight and artificial light can have a strong impact on your employees including their overall health and performance. Ergonomically designed lighting has proven to have a huge impact on motivation.

Note: Just as any other lighting concept, workplace lighting should be flexible and energy-saving. Any optimal lighting depends on the visual task and requires both a balance of indirect and direct light sources, as well as a balance between daylight and artificial light.

Natural is Best

• A new study from Northwestern University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign says employees with more light exposure during the work day sleep better and longer, are more physically active and have an overall better quality of life than office workers with limited light exposure.
• “There is increasing evidence that exposure to light, during the day, particularly in the morning, is beneficial to your health via its effects on mood, alertness, and metabolism,” said senior study author Dr. Phyllis Zee, a Northwestern Medicine neurologist and sleep specialist, in a news release. “Workers are a group at risk because they are typically indoors often without access to natural or even artificial bright light for the entire day. The study results confirm that light during the natural daylight hours has powerful effects on health.”
• Additionally, employees without windows in their offices reported a lower quality of life, related to “physical problems and vitality” and more trouble getting a good night’s sleep.
• Since not every room can have natural lighting we must look at our options in artificial lighting as well. Lighting is considered one of the most important factors in ergonomics, but too often this part of an office’s design is overlooked, rushed, or sacrificed for style. Let’s take a look at the different types of artificial lighting available:

General or Overhead Lighting

General lighting provides fairly uniform lighting. An example would be ceiling fixtures that light up large areas. Localized-general lighting uses overhead fixtures in addition to ceiling fixtures to increase lighting levels for particular tasks.

• Lamps can provide indirect lighting and help reduce glare, and lights on dimmer switches can give more control to the amount and the type of lighting. “Daylight” bulbs mimic natural lighting and help their space feel more comforting and productive at the same time.
• To achieve a balance between natural and artificial light and to avoid shadows and glare, place lights parallel to the window and the workplace.
• Dim lighting can strain the eyes and cause headaches, lowering productivity and resulting in employee fatigue. Dim lights also result in drowsiness or lack of focus. However, harsh lighting is just as harmful as dim lighting, causing eye strain and even triggering migraine headaches.

Local or Task Lighting

Local (or task) lighting increases light levels over the work and immediate surroundings. Providing individual task lighting allows workers to adjust personal workstations to their personal needs and preferences.

• “High health care costs associated with back pain and carpal tunnel syndrome have raised awareness about the importance of ergonomics. But there’s more to ergonomics than proper support for the back and wrists. Lighting is as important as any other workplace tool to worker comfort.” ⁷
• In the absence of good light, people will hunch, squint, and frown over their work, without realizing it. By reducing eyestrain and allowing people to maintain healthy posture, proper lighting can improve productivity by more than six percent.⁸
• We know that control over many environmental factors, e.g., noise levels, temperature, and lighting, contributes to comfort and enhances productivity.⁸
• There’s an upfront investment in task lighting, but when used in combination with other types of lighting, it pays off over time. According to the Energy Star Building Manual, “With good design, lighting energy use in most buildings can be cut at least in half while maintaining or improving lighting quality. Such designs typically pay for themselves in energy savings alone within a few years.”¹⁰

Ambient Lighting

• Tip: Don’t hang those trendy Edison bulbs over modular workstations. They look cool, but these bulbs won’t get the job done. Instead, implement these trends where they’ll have the most impact on your brand’s social atmosphere or company culture: Common areas such as hallways, cafés, or reception are a good fit for this type of ambiance. ⁶

Lighting and Computers

• Computers should not be set against a contrasting light source, like a window, or directly beneath the line of sight. Task lighting should have an adjustable positioning, so potential glare or contrast can be easily fixed as needed
• Tip: For desktop or laptop work, well-distributed diffuse light is best. You’ll enjoy fewer hot spots, or glare surfaces, in your line of vision.

Workplace Lighting Levels

Recommended lighting levels vary by task and space. A reception desk, a detailed paperwork task and a corridor don’t need the same amount of light. As a rule of thumb, tasks involving fine detail or long screen use need brighter, more even light than circulation or breakout areas.

Color Temperature

Warmer light suits breakout areas and reception, where a relaxed feel matters more than sharp focus. Neutral light works well for general office space. Cooler light can support concentration in task-heavy areas, though it’s easy to overuse and end up feeling clinical.

Lighting by Office Area

Different parts of an office are used differently, so it’s worth thinking about lighting area by area rather than one setup for the whole floor:

• Open-plan areas: even ambient lighting topped up with task lighting at individual desks
• Meeting rooms: dimmable lighting that works for presentations and video calls alike
• Reception: warmer, more decorative lighting for a good first impression
• Corridors: enough consistent light for people to move around safely

Energy-Efficient Lighting and Controls

LED fixtures are now the standard choice for workplace lighting, using less energy over their lifespan than older fluorescent or incandescent bulbs. Occupancy sensors and daylight sensors can cut energy use further, dimming or switching off lighting automatically when a room’s empty or there’s enough natural light coming in.

Need more help finding lighting that works in your office? Call our experts today at 800.427.5811 or email info@rigroup-us.com

Frequently Asked Questions

What type of lighting is best for a workplace?

A mix of general, task and ambient lighting works best, since each supports a different kind of activity across the office rather than one fixture doing everything.

What are the recommended lighting levels for an office?

This depends on the task and space, so there’s no single figure that fits every office.

What colour temperature is best for office lighting?

Neutral light generally suits general office areas, cooler light supports focus in task-heavy zones, and warmer light works well in reception or breakout spaces.

What is the difference between task lighting and general lighting?

General lighting evenly lights a whole space, while task lighting is aimed at a specific work surface to support close-up work like reading or screen use.

How do you reduce glare in an office?

Keep computer screens out of direct line with windows or overhead lights, use adjustable task lighting, and add blinds or shading where sunlight causes reflections.

What are the benefits of natural light in the workplace?

Research links greater daylight exposure to better sleep, more physical activity and improved overall wellbeing, while employees without window access report lower quality of life.

Sources:

1. https://www.nationalbusinessfurniture.com/blog/how-to-properly-light-your-office
2. https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/ergonomics/lighting_general.html
3. https://www.lightingdeluxe.com/workplace-lighting-ergonomics.html
4. https://www.ahchealthenews.com/2014/08/18/natural-light-exposure-boosts-overall-well-being/
5. https://www.fastcompany.com/3005976/your-offices-fluorescent-lights-really-are-draining-your-will-work
6. https://www.inc.com/jeff-pochepan/these-office-lighting-changes-will-improve-your-mood-and-productivity.html
7. https://www.hermanmiller.com/research/categories/white-papers/the-case-for-task-lighting/
8. Heerwagen, Judith. “Psychosocial Value of Space.” Whole Building Design Guide, 20 February 2007. “http://www.wbdg.org/resources/psychspace_value.php” (accessed November 2012).
9. “Green Building’s from the Tenant’s Perspective.”http://wwwdev.transwestern.net/EnergyStar/Tenant%20Benefits%20of%20Green%20Bldgs%208-07%20SM.pdf (accessed December 2012).
10. ENERGY STAR Building Manual 2006, p. 4.
11. https://www.grainger.com/content/supplylink-office-lighting-standards