Natural Light
It’s no surprise that in recent years the number of benefits of natural light in the workplace has only increased. From employee’s health to productivity, overall mood to energy costs, natural light plays a major role in the overall feel of your office space. Here are 5 ways natural light lights up your workspace.
1. Employees Sleep Better at Night
According to Psychology Today, workers who had exposure to sunlight throughout the day slept 46 minutes more a night compared to those without sunlight. It has been proven over and over again the important impact sunlight has on our bodies and circadian rhythms in which affect our sleep quality and sleep efficiency. Something as simple as being seated next to a window or still getting the exposure across the room not only can have an affect in the workplace; it follows you home and can change the entire game of how well you are sleeping.
2. Lack of Light Leads to the Flu?
Well maybe the flu, maybe another sickness. The amount of light you receive does have an impact on your immune system and your health overall. The less sleep you are receiving, the more you capable you are of coming down with the flu or any other sickness. You want your body to be able to heal any illness as quickly as possible and in that case, it requires your body to be fully rested.
Natural light is critical psychologically for a person’s well being and attitude. When basic needs are met employees can excel in other areas of their job performance.
3. Increase in Productivity and Concentration
When your mind needs to be stimulated and concentrated, it’s important to have the area or office brightly lit. Unfortunately offices and businesses tend to turn to fluorescent light, but even the slightest bit of natural light can make a big difference in productivity.
“Light creates energy and we all want and need more energy!” said Jessica Pagel, AOI General Manager.
4. Boosts Creativity
It’s true that even having the slightest bit of light can have a huge impact on an individual in terms of channeling their creativity. It turns out according to Cohere, that offices with access to sunlight and greenery have a direct impact on people’s creativity boosting it by 15%. It’s no surprise when daylight is the number one wanted natural feature in the workplace.
“Natural light is very important to a workspace. The light improves employee’s moods and their feelings of well-being,” said Gary McIntosh, AOI Senior Account Manager.
5. Natural Light is the Best Light for your Space
Although lighting such as LED or fluorescent does their job, there’s no match for natural light. Not only will it have a beneficial impact on your team, it will also be positive for the environment. According to a report by Inc.com, improving a post office in Reno, Nevada with better, indirect natural light, it resulted in energy savings of about $50,000 per year.
Working somewhere with little to no natural light really kills the vibe of any office. That light refreshes people and makes them feel better about the day.
Take a look around your own office or the next time you walk into someone else’s. Are their employees seated next to windows? Is there enough natural light flowing through the space to make it bright? Natural light has so many benefits that it’s important to note how it’s having an impact on your space and something to most definitely think of next time you move or change offices!
