Smart Lighting increases workplace satisfaction, research shows


22nd October 2018

(Netherlands) – Research from Signify indicates that investing in smart lighting could lead to increased workplace satisfaction among employees.

Over half of small and medium-sized enterprises struggle to recruit talent and two in five have issues retaining employees, according to new research from Signify, formerly Philips Lighting.

The findings show that over half of the employees surveyed said they’d be in favor of their company investing in connected tech, specifically smart lighting, ahead of other improvements.

“High workplace satisfaction influences engagement and the reputation of a business as a great place to work. So it’s no surprise that SMEs are looking into connected tech options to enhance engagement,” said Bianca van der Zande, research scientist at Signify.

“Nowadays with new technologies including LED and IoT, lighting can be a powerful influencer in the workplace. It has a big impact on how people can control lighting.

“With about half of the surveyed employees being in favour of having smart lighting installed, this could be an excellent way for SMEs to make the workplace more appealing to current and potential employees. We want to see this reflected in our working environments where connected tech is an important way to appeal to the best and brightest.”

When it comes to connected technology usage among SMEs, nearly one in five (17%) already use it in some form in their business, and just under a third (29%) are interested in doing so in the future.

Dr. Craig Knight, Chartered Psychologist, Honorary Research Fellow (Exon), Director of Identity Realization Ltd, agreed on the importance of lighting at work, saying: “Light can have astonishing effects within the workplace. It has been shown to be at once invigorating, calming and sculptural. Yet too many businesses pay scant attention to light, offering cheap rather than effective solutions. Science suggests that poor lighting strategies put wellbeing, happiness and productivity in jeopardy.”

The benefits of smart lighting could go beyond improved employee wellbeing and engagement. Of the SMEs that have areas that customers or clients visit, over a third thought that smart lighting would improve the customer or client experience. Employees are even more positive about the effects though, with 61% believing that smart lighting would give customers and clients a more favourable opinion of a business.

www.signify.com