The benefits of natural light in the workplace and how to increase it in your office space

Our mental and physical health is becoming increasingly important in all areas of our life, especially at work. Getting plenty of natural light when you are working is a fantastic way of improving your team’s mood, health and productivity. Overall, exposure to sunlight improves the health and happiness, so by trying to incorporate natural light into your office environment, you could end up with more energised staff.

The benefits of natural lighting are vast and should be a consideration for all office spaces. To help those looking to harness the power of natural light to benefit their workforce, we’ve outlined some of the ways you can implement it in your office space below.

1. Look at the lighting

Many offices simply don’t have enough access to natural light for all employees and in this case, you will need to look for artificial alternatives. To recreate a natural feel in the office, standard halogen bulbs can be replaced with certain LED lights, often called day lights or sun lights, which can help replicate the colour temperature and brightness you would get from sunlight[1].

As natural light can fill a room with light better than artificial sources, to mimic natural light it is best to have a range of light sources placed throughout the office. A variety of ceiling lights, accent lights and lamps will help to distribute the light throughout the space and avoid any harsh spotlights. This is especially important for any teams spending long amounts of time at a screen, as fluorescent lights combined with the harsh, blue lights of laptop screens and monitors can increase eye strain, leading to heightened levels of stress and migraines for workers.

2. Review your office layout

Whilst it’s not possible to have every desk in the office next to a window, you can review your office layout to have a variation of workspaces next to areas of natural light. Consider placing co-working desks and breakout seating areas next to windows, alongside individual desks so multiple people can access areas exposed to natural light throughout the day.

If natural light is most prominent in spaces that cannot be occupied by desks or people, turn these locations into focus points by displaying your brand graphics or logo, displaying artwork or adding mirrors to bounce light into other areas of the office.

3. Encourage your employees to enjoy outside space

If there is access to outside space, then maximise it. Install outdoor seating and benches for staff to enjoy lunch breaks and meetings outside and encourage them to take time away from their desks where possible. Getting fresh air and natural light throughout the day is hugely important for our wellbeing and mental health.

During the winter months when the days, and therefore sunlight hours, are shorter, many of us may begin to feel the winter blues. Encouraging your staff to make the most of their lunch break by either enjoying your outside space, or even just taking a walk if outside space is limited, will help to boost mood and morale, creating a happier and healthier workforce.

4. If all else fails, add greenery

A quick solution for an office space that has very little natural light and limited options when it comes to increasing it, is adding greenery. Adding a few low-light tolerant houseplants, like ferns or spider plants, will help to add some brightness and ethereal vibes in a room with little natural light, and they also help to keep the air clean. Last year we put together a useful guide on biophilic design in the office, which ranked some of the best plants on their air enhancing ability, which could be great to incorporate into the home.  

Office providers can’t create natural light when it isn’t there, but clever workspace design can maximise the space available and create an illusion of natural light, helping to bring the outside, indoors.

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