A lot of us prefer to live our lives under the warmth of the sun. Moreover, a survey conducted by The Harvard Business Review, confirms just how much natural daylight means to an average person, especially employees. Moreover, as per the Future Workplace survey, around 16,000 employees ranked “access to natural daylight and views of the outdoors” as their number one desire.
The advantages of natural daylight go beyond the preferences of employees. For instance, natural daylight in an office space has a plethora of scientifically -proven benefits.
A study conducted by Northwestern Medicine and the University of Illinois found that the workers who are exposed to natural light sleep better (at home) than those who are not. For instance, employees who sit near the window while working receive 176 per cent more white light. That roughly translates to 46 minutes of extra sleep.
As per the study conducted by the University of Oregon, the view from an employee’s desk and their exposure to natural light are connected to the number of sick days they might take. In this study, employees who had a nice view and received a decent amount of sunlight took 6.5 per cent fewer sick days.
Another study by Cornell showed that employees exposed to natural daylight experience an 84 per cent drop in health issues like eye strain, blurred vision, and headaches. These issues can lead to increased fatigue, and employees who were exposed to less light were more susceptible to the respective issues.
The connection between Vitamin D and natural light is a well-studied phenomenon. Vitamin D can enhance our health in several ways. It supports our immune system, nervous system, and improves brain functioning. For instance, even when an employee is working through discomfort and pain, a little bit of sunlight can enhance their mood and health.
The World Green Building Council asserts that employee’s feel more engaged when they work in natural daylight. They are more likely to stay focused on their tasks and collaborate more with their colleagues. More engagement and collaboration leads to more productivity and success for the company.
Natural daylight is the best light for humans. It governs human circadian rhythm and contributes to our health. Not only is it comfortable on our eyes but it also helps our eyesight. Furthermore, it helps enhance our mood, energy levels, and happiness that eventually generates a general willingness to come work at the office.
Unfortunately, several workplaces have design constraints and cannot truly maximise sunlight in the given space. And, lack of sunlight leads to employees feeling dull and demotivating. In order to avoid that, one can lay their trust in inSync™, a Human Centric Lighting (HCL) solution by Wipro Lighting. It works in harmony with the earth’s natural lighting cycle and can imitate sunlight inside the workplace which helps enhance a person’s well-being, mood, concentration and productivity.
