Want to Improve Workplace Productivity? Add More Natural Light!

Get the Most Out Your Office Space with Windows That Bring in Natural Light

Numerous scientific researches shown that natural light is not only essential to our overall wellbeing, but can also uplift your workplace environment.

In fact, there are so many benefits associated with spending time in spaces that offer abundant natural light. Simply put, natural light is not only good for your health, but it can also increase your performance and energy.

What Are the Benefits of Natural Light?

Natural daylight unlocks significant health and wellness benefits for office workers. According to study conducted by Alan Hedge, a professor in the Department of Design and Environmental Analysis at Cornell, workers in office environments with natural light reported an 84 percent drop in symptoms of eyestrain, headaches, and blurred vision symptoms, which often result from prolonged computer and device use at work and can detract from productivity.

Natural light can also boost energy levels during the day, reduce job-related stress and consequently improve overall levels of happiness.

How Natural Light Improves Productivity and Employee Health and Happiness

Boosts Energy, Makes Employees More Alert

We’ve all experienced those days where you just can’t seem to shake your exhaustion and your eyelids feel ten times heavier, making it incredibly difficult to just keep them open. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Having low levels of energy and feeling sluggish throughout the day can be attributed to having little exposure to a window with natural light.

In fact, another study conducted in the Netherlands found that when people were exposed to more daylight during their workday day, they reported feeling more energetic and less sleepy. This in turn, allows employees to focus, shake off mental fog, and get down to business.

Cuts Job Stress

Stress and work often go hand-in-hand. And dealing with stress throughout the workweek can be difficult to manage.

However, being simply placed near a window can help tremendously with this. Researchers from Turkey found that nurses who experienced 3 or more hours of daylight each day felt less stressed at work, and even more satisfied with their job. So, with the addition of a window, you can help reduce the effects and intensity of stress levels amongst your team.

Offers A Better Indoor Experience

A study from Cornell University looked into the performance of nurses who worked long shifts during nonstandard hours. Researchers found that nurses who had access to natural light communicated better with their colleagues. They laughed more at work and were nicer to their patients. Even their physical health was improved, as those who saw daylight had significantly lower blood pressure compared to nurses who worked mostly in an environment with artificial light.

Sparks Happiness

According to a Texas State University Study, beyond the improvement in our energy levels and reduction of stress, adding a plant near the window sill and being able to gaze outside with the sunshine beaming in has shown to dramatically enhance the levels of happiness in workers to over 80 percent!

Tips on How to Increase Natural Light in Office Space

There are multiple ways to maximize natural daylight in your working environment so you can feel and perform your best.

Install Larger Windows

Opting for big windows is the ultimate way to increase the amount of natural light in your office space. Advances in window manufacturing allow for minimal framework, so there is more exposed glass. Choose picture, bow or bay windows for the greatest impact. These can combine fixed with operable units to allow plenty of light and ventilation.

Read More: USING PRIVACY WINDOWS TO BENEFIT YOUR HOME AND BUSINESS

Keep your Windows Clean

This suggestion may seem like an obvious thing to do, but washing your windows thoroughly, inside and out, will ensure the maximum sunlight. Natural light will filter through the glass and shine so much more brightly throughout the room.

Read More: THE BEST WINDOWS FOR HEAT AND GLARE CONTROL

Replace Walls with Glass Blocks

Replacing an exterior wall section with glass blocks is an excellent way to let light penetrate without compromising privacy, security or energy efficiency. Glass block designs offer unique textures and colour shading to match any architectural style. Use them in place of standard basement windows to increase light penetration in the darkest space in your office.

Add Mirrors

Did you know that adding a mirror across from a window can double the amount of sunlight that enters the room? Mirrors and other shiny objects reflect light back into the room.

Therefore, adding the following elements will help to bounce sunlight around your room and brighten up any space:

Paint or Cover your Overhangs

Your office’s overhangs or eaves could be a deterrent to letting natural light shine through your windows. To increase daylight in every room, either paint the overhangs white around the entire outside perimeter of your office or install a white, maintenance-free aluminum or vinyl.

Install Skylights

Skylights are a great way to bring light into your office. They come in a variety of sizes and configurations and are commonly used in spaces like bathrooms and family rooms. Skylights are the ultimate “light booster” and are a great way save on your hydro bill.

As companies increasingly look to empower their employees to work better and be healthier, it is clear that placing them in office spaces with the optimal amount of natural light should be one of their first considerations.