In any modern office plan, whether cubicle or open collaborative space, lighting impacts employee comfort and productivity. Without the necessary amount of light to perform a task, employees can be affected biologically with symptoms such as eyestrain, headaches and fatigue. As a result, productivity in this environment is drastically decreased.
In most cases, if the office lighting plan relies exclusively on overhead ambient lighting for illumination, this is inadequate to properly light the workspace. 70 footcandles is considered to the be industry standard critical comfort light level for the average human being. Although as the eyes age, a higher level of footcandles is often required to work most comfortably.
Ambient-only lit offices average 35 footcandles’ worth of light on to the work surface. To compensate, the addition of personal task lighting puts the correct amount of light (70 footcandles or more) exactly where the user needs it, with ergonomic articulation and swivel to optimize user comfort and efficiency without wasted wattage.