Energizing high performers | How to boost employee performance | Daylight Indoors
Treating employees with respect, kindness, and compassion is a no-brainer for employers. But when it comes to other factors which contribute to overall employee happiness, there is much more to be done. Many modern companies are investing in improving their company cultures in a variety of different ways, for example, promoting and offering perks such as higher levels of health insurance, gym reimbursement, onsite canteens and the possibility of hybrid working. Look at any job advertisement today, and there are endless benefits listed to help attract the best possible candidates.
Even if all the above benefits are attractive and valued, employees currently want something even more basic and vital to their health and well-being: access to natural light.
A great example is a survey done by the HR advisory firm Future Workplace, surveying 1,601 professionals working in corporate office environments, as reported by The Harvard Business Review. The study reveals that employees put greater value in workplace environments which promotes and supports health and well-being.
The study also found that access to natural light outranked many other perks, placing among the top three essential needs for a workplace environment. One-third of employees proclaimed that access to proper light (intensity and color) is essential for their everyday wellness. Furthermore, the study found that employees prefer a personalized work environment, with 33% stating that they would like to personalize their overhead lighting, desk lighting, and exposure to natural light.
Transforming your employees to high performers with simulated daylight indoors
Windowless offices and insufficient lighting are two of today’s most impactful workplace challenges. People spend an average of 5 hours and 41 minutes each day sitting at their working stations. Sedentary work such as desk jobs where we are physically inactive for the majority of our day can have negative effects on both physical health and mental well-being, especially in windowless offices or offices with insufficient lighting. Furthermore, people spend approximately 21 out of 24 hours of the day indoors, while our biological need is closer to 6-8 hours of outdoor time per day. Hence it is even more crucial for companies to find methods to motivate, energize and enhance their employees’ performance and well-being indoors. What are some of the most important changes that companies can make to help their employees outperform?
People spend approximately 21 out of 24 hours of the day indoors, while our biological need is closer to 6-8 hours of outdoor time per day.
Related: Daylight and its effect on people’s health and wellbeing
Four Recommendations to Help Your Employees Perform Better
#1 Promote outdoor walking meetings
As previously mentioned, many businesses struggle with windowless workspaces and insufficient lighting. Becoming increasingly aware of the importance of exposure to daylight, companies may promote outdoor walking meetings to support employees. Walking meetings provide an additional chance for employees to spend more time outside, get some fresh air and increase their exposure to daylight. According to a walking meeting pilot study, conducted for the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine, walking meetings are beneficial to cardiovascular health, and potentially, even to employee productivity, as reported by CNN Health.
Walking meetings provide an additional chance for employees to spend more time outside.
#2 Make your office greener with plants
Surveys show that only 1 in 4 employees are satisfied with their air quality in their office environments. Also, nearly 50% of surveyed employees state that poor air quality impacts their working performance by making them feel sleepy at work. As working environments are becoming increasingly important to attract and retain top performers, companies should consider making their offices greener. By improving air quality, staff can become happier and more productive. Based on a study conducted with two large commercial offices in the UK and The Netherlands, investing in plants at the office contributed to a 15% increase in office workers’ wellness and productivity.
#3 Switch to indoor daylight solutions
Not every company has facilities surrounded by windows to illuminate workplace environments with natural daylight. Lack of daylight becomes even more critical when winter approaches, especially for people in the Northern hemisphere where the sun rises late and sets very early in the evening. Today, we are reliant on artificial lighting to help us throughout our days. That is why it is extra important that these lighting solutions also cater to our biological daylight needs. Daylight solutions for indoor environments, such as BrainLit BioCentric Lighting, mimics the most important aspects of daylight to promote human health and well-being. BioCentric Lighting uses algorithm-based light recipes to help you and your employees sustain your natural circadian rhythm. Resulting in positive effects such as increased alertness, better sleep, and cognitive performance amongst users.
Today, we are reliant on artificial lighting to help us throughout our days.
#4 Provide personal lighting options based on your employees’ needs
People differ in numerous ways, and so do your employees. Some people are more energetic and productive in the mornings, whereas others may struggle to complete tasks or find focus during this time. As a result, businesses should help employees personalize their workplace environments to best suit their physical and biological needs. One way to do so is to provide personal daylight solutions to boost your employees’ productivity.
Solutions such as BrainLit Alven, a personal and free-standing BioCentric Lighting™ system delivering dynamic, personal lighting to support health and well-being, can be something that employees would consider a method of empowering them toward a healthier and better life.
