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Office Lighting Design and Productivity: Getting it Right
It is known that trying to work in a dark or dingy office doesn’t help in achieving best performance, but EJ Barnes of the Gold Coast electrical company, EJ Electrical Works, says there’s more to office lighting than just keeping the office well-lit.
“Lighting design needs to be done in conjunction with the positioning of workstations,” he says. “Shift things around, and workers will probably need to adjust the lighting design. Also, people don’t like overly harsh, bright white light all day long. And it does affect their productivity and physical wellbeing.”
The way to find the best kind of lighting is not that hard. “Natural light is the best,” says EJ, “but unless workers have got a narrow office with really big windows, the people furthest from the windows won’t get enough of it. That’s where clever lighting design comes into the picture.”
The way to keep office workers comfortable and productive is to get something that’s as close to natural light as possible. But there are a few other issues to consider. “For example,” Says Barnes. “Consider where the employee sits in relation to the light source. If the light comes from behind, they’ll cast a shadow on their work. If it comes from the front, it can give them eye-strain because it’s shining right in their eyes.”
Case Study Shows Surprising Results
Getting lighting just right could give businesses a big boost. EJ explains: “There’s evidence that lighting design can make a huge difference. In the US, the Reno post office tried switching lighting designs with the people rather than the space as the focus.”
“Apart from huge energy savings, worker productivity and accuracy shot up, and reports say that the value of that productivity boost alone amounts to $500,000 a year. On top of that, updating the lighting also helped the post office to realise substantial energy cost savings.”
Lighting may be taken for granted at times, but with the link between lighting and productivity enjoying attention, there have been some interesting innovations.
The latest development is that lighting is being developed to mimic the circadian rhythm. So early in the day, it’s bright and cool, and as the afternoon wears on the light becomes warmer. In tests, the amount of errors made was reduced by 12 percent and workers reported feeling less tired at the end of the day.
But although EJ finds the new research interesting, he isn’t altogether convinced: “The only question mark over this is the placebo effect. Consider putting a bunch of people in an office with special lights and call it the “Healthy Offices Project,” that’s bound to have an influence on perceptions.”
“It’s impossible to tell if the results measured is linked to the lighting or the name of the trial under the circumstances,” EJ summarises.
Clearly, there’s more to people-centric office lighting than we might expect. As an electrical professional, EJ believes he can help: “Some things are really obvious. For example, someone is stuck in a dingy corner. Beyond that, local businesses should call an electrician to look at two things: the energy efficiency of lighting and the lighting design in relation to work stations.”
“If businesses improve energy-efficiency, it will help their capital to work harder for them by reducing costs. When electricians improve lighting quality, it will help employees to deliver their best.”
To find out more about EJ Electrical Works or to request an assessment of office lighting, visit their EJ Electrical Works website or call 1300 DIAL EJ, that’s 1300 342 535. EJ Electrical Works serves the Gold Coast, QLD and Northern Rivers, NSW region.
Written & Syndicated by Baxton Media.
Release ID: 418003