Workplace context is intrinsic to an employee’s health and happiness. The physical environment in which we work affects our mood, manner and level of productivity. Indeed, an aesthetically pleasing office setting will bolster employee motivation, engagement, creativity and professionalism. Notwithstanding the accepted value of a better working environment on employee well-being, one key aspect is often overlooked by employers: lighting.

Dim lighting and harsh lighting are the bane of many workplaces across the world, contributing to eye strain, headaches, poor concentration and negativity. Notorious offenders include garish fluorescent tubes and dingy panel lights, these 20th century lighting millstones having no place in a modern-day office environment. By contrast, in spaces where lighting is carefully considered and integral, we find a positive impact on employee performance and welfare.

The 21st century workplace has morphed and evolved: unfettered, employees are encouraged to interact, to collaborate and get together. Architects and interior designers must ensure spaces are people friendly, able to accommodate an array of working preferences. This being so, lighting will play an essential role and should be included in office plans from the outset. Yet time and again, employers will reconfigure an office layout without thinking about the lighting.

In a world beset with health and safety regulations, albeit with a focus on people and their welfare, lighting designers and manufacturers must ensure lights adhere to workplace rules. For example, there are directives regarding the amount of light that a lamp must cast on a work surface. At LZF, their well-designed pendants ensure a strong downward light effectively illuminates the space below.

However, this is tempered by LZF’s use of wood veneer: light radiating outwards from the sides of each lamp creates a soft and warm ambience. Set within a workplace context, LZF’s attractive lamps provide a level of light that promotes productivity and at the same time, they are engaging, elegant and full of personality. Moreover, they add to the physical beauty of a space.

Office lighting in the 21st century is no longer a staid affair. From corporate enclaves to workplace lounges, lighting should have the power to excite and stimulate, its presence acting to augment creative thinking and productive capacity. LZF is fortunate to find its lamps boosting team spirit in many progressive work spaces, with notable names such as Google, Youtube, Microsoft and Amazon enjoying the pleasing properties of its wood lights. Forward-thinking and avant-garde, LZF has a smart collection of lights to work under.

Writen by: Gerard McGuickin