America wants to start heading back to the office. Executives surveyed by PwC in 2021 overwhelmingly felt that company culture was tied to office attendance, and 87% of employees thought the office was key to collaboration and relationship building. Naturally, hybrid and remote working will continue to have a big part to play, but the days of fully remote pandemic working are starting to ebb away. 
With employee wellbeing a crucial aspect of many companies’ employee engagement strategies, the office must be looked at through such a lens too. Temperatures, seats, and perks all have their part to play, but one of the most important things to consider is whether the lighting in the office is supporting the mental health of staff and helping them do their best work. 
In this guide, learn why office lighting matters and how to do it right. 
Why office lighting is so important 
There is a healthy body of scientific research on the impact of light on mood. Two of the most well-known experts on the subject are Kaplan and Kaplan. In their 1989 book, they explore the idea of environmental cognition – how, when placed in a new environment, we use memories to match and understand the space.  
Using this approach, lighting can be used to highlight important aspects of an interior (boundaries, focal points, and so forth), and elicit certain feelings by highlighting textures, colors, and other facets that a majority of people find interesting or familiar. 
Lighting can also have other effects on mood. Bright, white lights can make people feel more energized in the day, but deprive us of sleep at night, when more yellow and orange lighting is much more beneficial. Highlighting colors with lighting can also change how people feel in an office – white for neutrality, orange for creativity, and so forth. The right intensity of lighting can also mean eye strain and headaches are much less likely. 
The three types of office lighting 
When organizing your office lighting, it’s important to think in terms of the three main types: ambient, task and accent: 

• Ambient lighting – This is the main office lighting, typically from the ceiling and designed to refract around the entirety of the room. Ambient lighting boosts visibility and safety. 
• Task lighting – Helping staff look at the tasks they are currently undertaking, removing unhelpful shadows and ensuring the entire task is lit and in view. Task lighting improves productivity. 
• Accent lighting – Used to highlight points of interest or make a space appear larger than it is. Accent lighting makes spaces interesting. 

With a mixture of these three, you can make any space inviting, yet conducive to getting work done. 
Choosing lighting fixtures for shared office spaces 
Using this three-pronged approach, you can start choosing office lighting. Lamps provide accent and task lighting for employees, just make sure that if you are considering providing each desk with a lamp, be sure that there are plenty of lamp sockets throughout the main office spaces, otherwise wiring could soon become a trip hazard on top of looking unprofessional. 
Suspended office lights and flat panel ceiling lights are a good choice for ambient lighting, with suspended offering a little more depth in tall-ceilinged spaces. Recessed lighting can also be a great choice for accent lighting.