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Where are you reading this post from now? Are you at home? At work? Perhaps you are in the office? Where once we could assume the majority of workers would be on-site for their jobs, our post-pandemic world has left us with a rather different working landscape.
COVID-19 has forced us to adapt to many situations we could not have foreseen, and one of the lasting outcomes of this has been the massive shift in working patterns and environments. According to The Office of National Statistics, levels of flexible or hybrid working have greatly increased, with many now choosing to work both from home and their offices, with as much as 84% of workers now planning to carry out hybrid working.
No doubt coming together in a working environment can offer benefits that working from home can not, such as improved work-home life balance, a more structured workday and the benefit of social interaction and in-person collaboration. But with this renewed sense of work autonomy, how can we ensure that people want to return to their offices? And how can we boost their productivity and well-being once back in the workplace? It may surprise you to know that efficient, effective lighting is a huge part of the answer.
This blog will shed some light on how our bodies respond to lighting, and how we use efficient, human-centric lighting and wellness design to ensure those dark days are lit a little brighter, and that people benefit from coming back to the workplace.
Download our workplace lighting guide
What are Circadian Rhythms?
There is a significant link between our internal body clock, or “circadian rhythm”, and lighting. Our energy, mood and well-being are driven by these rhythms, which in turn are impacted by not only how much light we are exposed to, but the quality of it.
Our circadian rhythms are internal processes that regulate our bodies. They aid us with our sleep-wake cycle and coordinate our physical, mental and behavioural systems. The word circadian comes from the Latin meaning, “around a day”, as these processes work in 24-hour cycles. Not only do they remind us when to wake up and when to sleep, but they also impact our physical well-being and mental health. If these systems are thrown off, our body may not function as effectively as it should.
Our rhythms are highly sensitive to many external factors, and everything from sun exposure, exercise and caffeine, to our phone screens, daytime naps and light-night TV can alter our circadian rhythms, impacting our quality of sleep, productivity, and day-to-day functioning.
Modern life throws up constant challenges for our bodies, but healthy lighting can be aligned to natural human circadian rhythms to help aid healthy sleep and functioning, and improve alertness. We can certainly use lighting, automated lighting and wireless lighting controls to help attract employees back to work and offer them benefits they would not find at home.
Lens-Line
Lighting to Enhance Wellbeing in the Workplace
Productivity and overall wellness in the workplace can be boosted by providing optimum working conditions for your workforce. Poor office lighting can send confusing signals to our brain, disrupting our internal body clock, and leaving us feeling sluggish, unfocused, and unable to sleep properly. A balance between natural light and artificial lighting can aid healthy functioning. However, sometimes natural lighting is not accessible, so then a solid lighting strategy is needed to restore balance.
Differing levels of illumination in different environments all have an impact, and it isn’t as simple as adjusting light brightness. Colour temperatures, timing and the quality of the light all have effects. Some are subtle, and some are apparent, but all these elements work together to provide different effects.
Unified Glare Rating (UGR) refers to how bright a luminaire is compared to the background illuminance, as well as the viewing angle for the user. The guidelines from The Society of Light and Lighting, state that office spaces should comply with UGR standard of 19 or below. This is especially important in office spaces, where employees spend many hours a day without natural lighting, often working from screens and needing to focus for long periods. Too high a UGR, or too much glare, can cause headaches and problems with eyesight, whereas too low can cause visibility problems and trouble focusing.
Unfortunately, it is not as simple as simply choosing low glare/sub UGR19 lighting and installing it. While the UGR may be low, the actual quality and performance of the light are impacted by the dimensions of the space being lit, how the light is distributed, and properties such as how reflective the surfaces are. In fact, how the lighting interacts with the space is just as important as the strength of the luminaires. Our experts at Mount Lighting have the professional expertise needed to ensure you need not fret about these technical details and can rest easy in the knowledge that we have all the science covered.
Our Products for UGR Applications
Our products are always designed with your well-being in mind. Our versatile range of low-glare lights conforms to these guidelines and doesn’t compromise on style. Using a specialised microprismatic diffuser, the UGR levels are kept low, and our long-life LED solutions, from suspended lighting to recessed models, ensure that there is a solution to any space or need.
As part of our suspended LED lighting range, our M-Line 54 is versatile and stylish, can be crafted to your preferred lengths, and have bespoke shape and colour options to suit any space. Perfect for office spaces, they have dimmable and emergency options or Casambi wireless controls give you more oversight over your lighting- you are totally in control.
The Lens-Line range has a low carbon footprint and high energy efficiency, making it our most sustainable linear lighting option. It can be surface mounted or installed suspended and is super efficient at 195 Lumens per Watt.
Lens-Line Suspended
Also available are recessed LED options, which can create an illusion of a larger space while leaving room for other decorative elements. From more subtle designs to statement pieces, they provide light without any visible fixtures, letting other architectural features shine without sacrificing functionality.
For example, our Low Glare Recessed LED Downlighting, such as Echo or Velo, have a high light output while complying with guidelines. They are extremely versatile and can be mounted into suspended or plasterboard ceilings.
Echo Recessed
For ceiling grids, we have the LEP32LG LED Backlit Panel, which fits snugly into ceiling grids, and has low energy consumption – perfect for office lighting.
LEP32LG Ceiling Light
With our flexibility, expertise and fast turnaround, our team can assist with all your lighting needs. Our range of UGR19 products provides a solution for every need. Our experts know the impact lighting has, and are passionate about bringing you bespoke, dynamic and functional solutions for your commercial fit-out project.
Let’s Bring Workforces Back to the Workplace
We at Mount Lighting offer a wide range of high-quality UGR19 lighting solutions, making it possible for you to create healthy, productive work environments with great lighting designs, so you don’t have to compromise health for great interior design.
Contact us today at [email protected].or 01582 369 005 to find out how we can help you attract employees back to work.
