Color, Lighting, Temperature: These Factors May Hold the Key to Employee Motivation

It may seem like common sense that a cold, grey workplace won’t foster immense productivity, but the details of improving worker happiness and efficacy are too often neglected. A growing body of evidence suggests that environmental factors will either motivate or subtly oppress the workers in an office.

The potential effect on an employee’s job satisfaction and output could be huge, affecting not just productivity, but also employee turnover. It is therefore crucial to consider environmental factors when designing your office space.

Colours have taken on various meanings throughout history: Red has been associated with anger and passion, while purple was the mark of luxury and decadence. But the notion that colour could actually impact human behaviour wasn’t examined until Goethe in the 19th century, and studies thereafter were either nonspecific or looked to support particular anecdotes and conjecture, neglecting the wider principles.

Only in the last decade has colour psychology emerged as a serious field of scientific research, exploring the societal effects of colour and those hardwired into our brains over thousands of years. Understanding these reactions could be the key to unlocking hidden potential through something as simple as workplace decor.

Looking for a suitable data set, psychologists at the University of Durham hit upon the idea of assessing the performance of boxers at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Athletes were randomly assigned either a blue or red uniform, and it was speculated that wearing red might offer a slight competitive advantage. The results appeared to bear this out: Over the course of the competition, athletes wearing red were 5% more likely to win their fights. While the scope of the study was limited, it established the credible possibility that literally “seeing red” might give you a small boost to adrenaline and performance in certain competitive settings.

Numerous studies have since emerged to back this up, with the colour red being of primary interest as the most obviously evocative:

Painting a boardroom bright red might not be the best idea, but that aggression and competitive edge could suit a dynamic, high intensity business. Yellows meanwhile can make a small space feel larger and brighter, but they can also be too stimulating, with some evidence that domestic arguments happen more often in vivid yellow kitchens. If you’re looking for a safe colour scheme, natural shades of blue and green are universally seen as calming and invigorating.

Nobody likes feeling cold, and this discomfort can have an obvious impact on productivity; cold hands will naturally type more slowly and with less accuracy. But it may come as a surprise that the seemingly reasonable temperature of 68°F (20°C) can significantly reduce typing speed and increase errors, particularly amongst women.

The study by Cornell University indicated that raising the temperature of an office to 77°F (25°C) maxes out typing rates, and reduces errors from 25% to 10%. The potential savings of such a change could amount to $2 per worker per hour, or 12.5% of total wage costs, likely outweighing the costs of raising or lowering the air conditioning. A joint Finnish, Swedish, and American study similarly concluded that the ideal temperature for the workplace was 72°F (22°C).

Even more surprising is the potential impact to teamwork and communication, crucial in so many working environments. A difference of around 10°F was shown in one study to significantly impact participants’ clarity and level of detail when asked to describe a short film, as well as how “warmly” they interacted with the experimenters.

Temperatures above 77°F (25°C) show a similar drop-off, but temperature regulation is clearly important, particularly for female workers. Most studies and single temperature systems cater to men, but women have been shown to have on average a lower metabolism, producing less body heat. Smart building controls can help to mitigate this and cater to each individual by personalising the temperature of their space.

It’s perhaps too often deemed that so long as you can see your work on a computer screen, there’s no issue. Some people even deem low lighting conducive to a relaxed working environment. Yet when workers were surveyed by the American Society of Interior Design, 68% reported that they were unhappy with the lighting in their workplace. A lack of natural lighting in large office spaces is often cited, as well as dim overhead lighting and fluorescent lights, which some people find to be particularly tiring to look at.

The effect of light on productivity comes down to three key factors: lux, reflection, and kelvin. Lux is a measurement of the illumination of surfaces, ranging from 0-10,000. A dark public space might be 50 lux, whereas a lengthy task that requires very high precision could require a space at 5000 lux. For most environments, 500-1000 lux is an adequate level as measured from 30 inches (76 cm) above the floor.

Reflection is exactly what it sounds like: how much light reflects off surfaces. Ceilings can be as much as 80% reflective as you won’t be looking at them too often, whereas walls should be at most 50% reflective. Again, this can be measured with specific instruments, but it generally comes down to not using extremely bright, vibrant colours.

Kelvin is a measurement of the warmth of light. An oft-used device is to imagine a piece of metal heating up; it starts as a warm red, and moves to cooler colours as the temperature increases. The temperature of light works in much the same way: Warm red light is relaxing and mimics a sunset, while cool blue lights evoke a bright day. Blue lights such as those which emanate from most TV and phone screens have been proven to inhibit your circadian sleep cycle, keeping people awake and alert.

This has been deployed in computer software like Flux and Twilight to minimise the impact of screen time on sleep patterns, as well as by businesses to keep people awake to spend more at night. Natural light is still the best way to keep people awake and working at full capacity, but blue lights with a rating of 5000-17,000K can simulate the effects of sunlight.

Very bright lights can be tiring; however, and can cause screen glare, a problem with inconsistent office layouts. As always it’s vital to survey and speak with end users to assess the impact of lighting and other factors on rooms and workstations.

When it comes to creating a space that suits everyone, there are numerous factors to consider, and the research in each continues at its own pace. Ergonomics is well established, while the effects of temperatures lag behind; colours are rarely considered and lighting is often misunderstood.

The most important thing to note is that while there are general guidelines for creating a positive environment, individuals will always differ, and our understanding of environmental factors will evolve constantly. By listening to your employees and (where possible) using smart technology and building management systems, you can help people tailor their experience in the workplace to the benefit of the business as a whole.

Post by: Steven Lambert

Steven Lambert is COO at MCS, a provider of integrated real estate, facility, and workplace management software solutions for large private or public sector organizations, helping to improve real estate performance in terms of total cost, risk reduction, employee satisfaction, brand perception, and sustainability. The company’s global headquarters is located in Belgium, with North American headquarters in New York City.

Company: MCS
Website: www.mcssolutions.com/workplace-management.com
Connect with me on Facebook , Twitter and LinkedIn.

The post Color, Lighting, Temperature: These Factors May Hold the Key to Employee Motivation appeared first on AllBusiness.com