While not ideal, the reality is that offices are becoming a
second home to many. There is no doubt that reporting managers must help to
balance their employees' work life balance, but higher management must look at
ways to improve productivity as a way to reduce long working hours. Most
importantly, if employees are going to spend a better part of their day at
work, then there is an impetus to create an ideal work environment for them.
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Boosting productivity - with optimal office lighting
Onno Willemse
30 April 2016
The year 2016 will be tough for businesses in Asia. Negative growth in China has sent shockwaves across the rest of Asia, casting doubts on the region's economic outlook in 2016.
Productivity improvements are seen as one of the most important solutions to reverse slowing economic growth. Increases in productivity allow businesses to produce greater output for the same level of input, resulting in higher GDP while keeping costs low. However, many business leaders have mistakenly associated improvements to productivity with a reduction in costs.
A recent report by real-estate investment firm CBRE found that many organisations across Asia are under pressure to drive down costs and are doing so by reducing the size of workspaces. In Hong Kong, India and China, workspaces have shrunk from 100 square feet per desk to 50-60 square feet per desk over the last decade. This is nearly half that in Europe and the US. While this reduction in workspaces has lowered the overhead costs, further reductions can lead to a dangerous drop in performance and retention.
Instead of focusing on bottom lines, business leaders should look at improving productivity. A simple way is by optimising the office environment which impacts employees' productivity and well-being. Today, one of the main culprits for decreased productivity lay ominously overhead: lighting. Research has demonstrated a significant connection between light and circadian rhythms, the "built-in clocks" that govern our cycles of sleep and waking, stimulation and relaxation. When circadian cycles are disrupted due to too little or too much light at the wrong time of the day, the body releases melatonin which disrupts sleep cycles, affecting work performance and leading to health issues. The ability to balance and adjust the types and amount of light to be emitted throughout the day and for different durations can have positive effects on circadian cycles.
Perfecting the balance
Light goes beyond illumination. When used correctly, light brings better productivity and health benefits to employees. Very cool white light enhances productivity, while artificial light that emulates natural daylight rhythm aid in improving mood, energy and alertness. This is the reason why brainstorming rooms in offices should ideally be fitted with very cool white lights to invigorate employees, while conference rooms should use middle tones to exude an inviting ambience while keeping workers motivated.
But in today's increasingly urban Asia, land is scarce and real estate costs continue to spiral upwards. There is limited amount of space and resource to cater for purpose-built facilities within offices, ie brainstorming rooms with very cool white lights, creative spaces with warm white lights and conference rooms with middle-tone lights. However, lighting technologies have evolved over the years and it is now possible to use light to creatively switch between a variety of ambiences throughout the workday, making the office an ideal place to think, create and collaborate. Scene setting and timeline-based dimming schedules have also enabled offices to enjoy optimal lighting experiences with a press of a button or at pre-set timings. A brainstorming room can be turned into a conference room in a matter of seconds.
Don't let the office become an occupational hazard
Asia's workforce has changed. Young millennials are joining the workforce every day, and employees from the older generations are delaying their retirement. The office is now a diverse and multi-generational community. This new demographic has fuelled numerous discussions around resolving and managing generational differences, but little has been said about the suitability of work environments for older populations.
As people age, they experience neurodegeneration in their eyes. Less light gets to the retina to stimulate the nerves, which means that older employees will require about three to four times more illumination than their younger peers. This level of illumination, however, will be damaging to younger employees, resulting in eye strain and even headaches. Building authorities and business leaders must re-evaluate office and building lighting to cater for today's diverse workforce.
Employees today are already spending longer than usual hours at work but it is not necessarily paying off, and can have detrimental effects on employees' mental and physical health. According to the Morgan McKinley Working Hours Survey 2015, 82 per cent of professionals in Singapore feel they are working longer than their contractual hours but only 28 per cent believe they are more productive during these extra hours. Elsewhere in the region, only 39 per cent of employees in China, 37 per cent in Hong Kong and 36 per cent in Japan felt they were productive during the extra hours.
While not ideal, the reality is that offices are becoming a second home to many. There is no doubt that reporting managers must help to balance their employees' work life balance, but higher management must look at ways to improve productivity as a way to reduce long working hours. Most importantly, if employees are going to spend a better part of their day at work, then there is an impetus to create an ideal work environment for them.
The writer is senior director, Global Business Line Internet Connected Lighting System, at Philips
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