Worker Productivity Studies
•Employers can boost productivity by 7.1% annually by improving indoor
air quality, increasing daylight and controlling office temperatures, according to a 2003 student study of green building by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, the state’s development agency for renewable energy.
(Salt Lake Tribune, Feb. 19, 2006)
•A 2003 study of office worker productivity conducted by the California Energy Commission found exposure to
daylight was consistently linked with higher levels of concentration and better short-term memory.
(Wall Street Journal, Oct. 19, 2004)
•Daylight illumination levels were significant and positive in predicting better performance on a test of mental function and attention. The Backwards Numbers test is widely accepted in psychological research as a valid test of mental function and attention spans. An increase in daylight illumination levels from one to 20 foot candles resulted in a 13% improvement in the ability to instantly recall strings of numbers.
(“Integrated Energy Systems: Productivity and Building Science” Report prepared for the California Energy
Commission Public Interest Energy Research Program by the New Building Institute Inc., October 2003)
•A 2001 study by the Lighting Research Center in Troy, N.Y. of the impact of daylight on worker productivity during winter months found that workers in windowed offices spent significantly more time working on their computers than workers in interior, windowless offices.
(California Energy Commission website, www.energy.ca.gov, 2002)
•According to betterbricks.com, a resource promoting sustainability concepts, “The initial costs of improving
a facility through better lighting, heating and cooling systems can be offset exponentially by the productivity gains of a more productive workforce. In a typical office, energy costs run $2 per square foot, while
employee salaries and benefits are $130 per square foot or more. Even slight changes in productivity can
have a major impact on the bottom line.”
(Journal of Property Management, September 2001)
•According to the Peter Kiewit Institute of Information Science, Technology and Engineering at the
University of Nebraska, poor lighting in the workplace can lead to excessive sick days, worker discontent,high staff turnover rates and poor-quality work. Natural light, however, makes workers feel and work better, prevents eye strain, helps people retain what they have learned and boosts productivity.
(Chicago Tribune, June 5, 2002)
•Research suggests that unvarying electric light can lead to a low-level kind of sensory deprivation that can
lead to impairment of organized thinking, depression, confusion and general irritability. By contrast, variability of light has been shown to have a positive impact on worker performance. A study of shift workers under a daylight-simulating skylight showed improved performance of cognitively challenging tasks by creating a higher sense of mental arousal.
(Report by the Parsons School of Design, New School of Social Research in New York analyzing 60 studies and articles on the topic of daylighting and productivity, 1999)
air quality, increasing daylight and controlling office temperatures, according to a 2003 student study of green building by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, the state’s development agency for renewable energy.
(Salt Lake Tribune, Feb. 19, 2006)
•A 2003 study of office worker productivity conducted by the California Energy Commission found exposure to
daylight was consistently linked with higher levels of concentration and better short-term memory.
(Wall Street Journal, Oct. 19, 2004)
•Daylight illumination levels were significant and positive in predicting better performance on a test of mental function and attention. The Backwards Numbers test is widely accepted in psychological research as a valid test of mental function and attention spans. An increase in daylight illumination levels from one to 20 foot candles resulted in a 13% improvement in the ability to instantly recall strings of numbers.
(“Integrated Energy Systems: Productivity and Building Science” Report prepared for the California Energy
Commission Public Interest Energy Research Program by the New Building Institute Inc., October 2003)
•A 2001 study by the Lighting Research Center in Troy, N.Y. of the impact of daylight on worker productivity during winter months found that workers in windowed offices spent significantly more time working on their computers than workers in interior, windowless offices.
(California Energy Commission website, www.energy.ca.gov, 2002)
•According to betterbricks.com, a resource promoting sustainability concepts, “The initial costs of improving
a facility through better lighting, heating and cooling systems can be offset exponentially by the productivity gains of a more productive workforce. In a typical office, energy costs run $2 per square foot, while
employee salaries and benefits are $130 per square foot or more. Even slight changes in productivity can
have a major impact on the bottom line.”
(Journal of Property Management, September 2001)
•According to the Peter Kiewit Institute of Information Science, Technology and Engineering at the
University of Nebraska, poor lighting in the workplace can lead to excessive sick days, worker discontent,high staff turnover rates and poor-quality work. Natural light, however, makes workers feel and work better, prevents eye strain, helps people retain what they have learned and boosts productivity.
(Chicago Tribune, June 5, 2002)
•Research suggests that unvarying electric light can lead to a low-level kind of sensory deprivation that can
lead to impairment of organized thinking, depression, confusion and general irritability. By contrast, variability of light has been shown to have a positive impact on worker performance. A study of shift workers under a daylight-simulating skylight showed improved performance of cognitively challenging tasks by creating a higher sense of mental arousal.
(Report by the Parsons School of Design, New School of Social Research in New York analyzing 60 studies and articles on the topic of daylighting and productivity, 1999)