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| office setup (Photo credit: Rob 'n' Rae) |
There are numerous benefits of letting the sunshine in through the windows or skylights. Maximizing natural light in the workplace will result in more productivity and efficiency. Let’s have a look at some of these benefits.
Increased Productivity
When you have the sun streaming in through the windows, the serotonin levels of your workers will be on the higher side. This will put them in a better mood, making them more active and keep the workforce bustling with energy. It might become a little noisier in there, but you shouldn’t mind that as long as they are accomplishing more.
Health Benefits
Your company probably loses a good amount of money and production when people call out sick. Having natural sunlight in the office will increase the production of Vitamin D. This will increase everyone’s immune system and have them at their desks instead of at home. Recent studies have shown a 15 percent decline in absenteeism when employees worked under natural light conditions instead of artificial lighting. So, by just “keeping the blinds open” (hypothetically speaking), your employees get better health and you get more work done. Need I say more?
A Better Atmosphere
People are just happier when they have the sun shining on them, especially in the relatively cold regions or weathers. It means, everyone feels good about coming to work. They show up on time, don’t take too long on breaks and do not jump up at exactly 5 o clock. Remember, if you are keeping your shades drawn, your employees are not getting much daylight at all. They do not have a chance to get out during the day to soak up the energy. This can make them grumpy at work, and just as a smile is contagious, so is grumpiness. Who wants to go to a workplace, where everyone seems to be in a sour mood?
Increased Sales
If your staff is some kind of a marketing or salesroom, having natural light will increase their creativity and salesmanship. Because they are more chipper, it will help them with customer service, lead generation, or sales. Not to forget that if your showroom has a lot of sunlight, even your customers will be in high spirits, hence more likely to do business with you. Sunlight has dual benefits when customers and sales are involved.
Financial Benefits
Any time you use natural daylight to light up your office, and avoid having overhead lights on, you are saving money on your electricity bill. But that’s just one of the many financial benefits. As earlier mentioned, lower absence rate will mean you’ll not be paying for temporary help while also paying for an employee’s sick day, giving you more savings. Not to forget that an increase in production, and eventually in sales will also improve your bottom line.
When you consider all the advantages of using natural light in your offices, you will wonder why you didn’t think of it before. You may think it is the lower power bills, increased production and better sales that have you feeling so happy, but in reality, it is just the talk of extra sunshine that has you feeling great.
Scott Ryan is a home and office interior design expert, follow him on twitter.
