Reduced efficiency at work, due to bad lighting?
If 98% of us believe that lighting influences our level of contentment at work and 96% of us consider it important to our health, you might think that good lighting would be a priority for us when we redecorate or upgrade our workplace.
Not so, according to Swedish work environment research, carried out by United Minds in 2008. Although lighting is an important factor to most employees, as much as 68% don't consider it to be a priority when greater changes take place at work.
More than 50% of the people asked claim that bad lighting at work bothers them. Almost as many think that lighting is one of the most important elements in order to have a good workplace. The oldest age groups actually consider good lighting to be more important than various ergonomic work tools and the level of noise at work.
So, according to the Swedish research paper, what are the consequences of working in a place with less than satisfactory lighting? The efficiency is reduced. Some people experience physical problems, such as tired eyes and neck and shoulder problems. In such workplaces the employees are more likely to get burned-out, and more employees are likely to be on sick leave than in workplaces with good lighting.
Well, the solution to the problem should not be hard to see. But then again, things can be hard to see in bad lighting.