Office workers!! Do you like to work with lights on or off?

[Boopuff]

I have to go into my office 3 days a week. I work in a "cube farm" our office is designed with the offices are all on the exterior with windows. The cubes sit in the middle with very few windows. Everyday, there's a tussle: lights on, lights off, lights on... Personally, I'm a lights on person. I"ll fall asleep if I sit in the dark too long!! I'm just curious how other people like a big cube farm illuminated or not.

 

[soccerdad72]

On, but dimmed. My office has a dimmer switch - I like it about 50% on.

 

[Minnesota!]

OFF!! Even at home, I work in the dark.

 

[Disneylover99]

Lights on!
I can’t look at a computer screen in the dark.

 

[RF536]

I prefer limited lights, they give me migraines. Most people in my area of the office prefer the same thing. The office has a lot of natural light. We also have a set of lights arount the perimeter of the area that isn't directly over any cubes, this is what we use for additional lighting.

 

[tamitru32]

We were working from home last 4 years, but I sure remember this one. They should be on, however maybe 3/4 of them only if possible. During the usual work week they were all on, however for those of us working weekends and after 5 it was always a discussion. Then it kind of came down to who was already working. Once they left, it was yours to change.

 

[tvguy]

Lights in the office. Probably the biggest dispute of my working life. But I worked graveyard shift 25 years, and 3 am shift for 12 years. I would come in at 3 am and find ALL the lights off. That is absolutely the WORST thing overnight workers can do to mess up their Circadian rhythm. And those workers were always the ones who had the most trouble dealing with shift work. I always kept all the lights on at work, and had blackout curtains in my bedroom for when I slept during the day and clearly if I worked crazy hours for 37 years, I might have a little experience with that.
But in the big picture, it usually ended up with someone complaining to HR that it was too bright in the office. HR bringing in an outside lighting consultant. The consultant running around with light meters and finding that the light level at it's highest level was still below minimum OSHA standards. Usually because a number of the fluorescent tubes had burned out and needed to be replaced. Or they would find that half the tubes in fixtures had been loosened.......hmmm, wonder who did that?
Short answer, those complaining about light levels being too high usually found the light levels were too low and ended up being raised to meet OSHA standards. And every eye Doctor I have ever had would agree.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

While I find it soothing to have them off or dimmed, I work better with them on brighter. Back when we used to go into the office every day, there were some people that couldn't tolerate the standard brightness. Facilities would come in and change out the lights over their desks. It was still within OSHA standards, but not as bright as everyone else.

 

[dez1978]

off. The florescent lights give me headaches. I keep my office lights off and the lights from outside are plenty enough for me to see.

 

[tvguy]

off. The florescent lights give me headaches. I keep my office lights off and the lights from outside are plenty enough for me to see.

How about the LED tubes? Do they give you headaches? I know the character of the light is different, I have found them to give off an odd color of light if you use the soft white versions. I have a fluorescent fixture in my laundry area at home and I ended up putting one soft white LED tube in and one Daylight tube to get the color of light we wanted.

 

[disykat]

I can't imagine how people stay awake with the lights off. My DH had a coworker who had a big barrier kind of like a giant palm frond that hung over his head to make the lights tolerable for him. To me, that makes a whole lot more sense to find accommodations that work for people rather than turning the lights off for everyone.

 

[lovesmurfs]

On. I need full light.

 

[bettertheangel]

Lights off if there is available natural light. Low lights if there's no natural light. I get headaches if there's prolonged bright light. I also keep my monitors on the lowest brightness.

 

[disneychrista]

Lights on. But not TOO bright. There are a couple people who are always coming into my office and thinking I need more light. The light is fine the way it is. One person keeps opening up the blinds which by mid-day is blinding me, as I sit faced toward the window. and the window faces a concrete wall.

There is another office where I swear every time I go in there, there are less and less lights. I could not work in the dark, as I do need to be able to read papers, not just stare the computer screen all day.

 

[Kitty 34]

On. I need full light.

Me, too.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I like them to be off.... but they always keep them turned on

 

[RangerPooh]

I’m fortunate to have windows in my current office, so I try to keep my lights off.

 

[_19disnA]

The lights at our office are always on during working hours. Never knew that was thing to not have them on. Even with the widows around the perimeter, there are days when it is overcast or raining and I can't imagine sitting in the dark doing my work. Conference rooms have motion sensors to turn off the lights when the room is empty for more than 15 minutes.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Give me all the lights, please! - back when I worked in an office, and now at home.

I definitely don't see as well in dim light (and yes, my eye doctor knows - it's just how I'm built, not a new problem.)

 

[dez1978]

How about the LED tubes? Do they give you headaches? I know the character of the light is different, I have found them to give off an odd color of light if you use the soft white versions. I have a fluorescent fixture in my laundry area at home and I ended up putting one soft white LED tube in and one Daylight tube to get the color of light we wanted.

I think that is what we have here at work. We upgraded all the lights here a couple years back, because I work for the state and they had to redo the lights for efficiency or whatever, which made me laugh because this hospital is only 5 years old lol. It opened in 2019, so you'd have thought they would have just went with those to begin with.

I think for me it's the combo of 2 light fixtures in what is basically a 9x9 office, with white concrete walls. It's just too much brightness. in my old office, I didn't have a window so I had to bring in a small desk lamp. But my office now, I have a window so unless it's super overcast or storming out, there is plenty of light.