Ergonomic remote working, user manual part 2 – lighting

Let’s carry on with our remote working topic. Like Balzac, let’s explore in depth each element that makes up your ergonomic office fitted out in your home in order to optimize it as much as possible. And let’s focus on the lighting. That plays a bigger role than many people think. A worker receives about 85% of daily information through the eyes. Thus, inadequate lighting (too strong or too weak) can cause visual fatigue which in the short term reduces concentration and productivity and, in the long term, damages the eyes. Here are some tips that will prevent the teleworker from this kind of inconvenience. Overview of what to do … and especially how to equip yourself.

The different types of lighting

Natural light: always favored over artificial light, it depends on the architecture of your home (in particular the size and orientation of the windows), on the intensity of the sun’s rays (which can of course be modulated with curtains or awnings) and the season.

Artificial light: Incandescent, fluorescent, mercury or metal halide are the main types of artificial lighting that you will find to illuminate your workplace. The intensity of the light and the color of the objects’ appearance are indicators to watch for in order to optimize comfort.

Choosing the right artificial light source for your office

You cannot find a sufficient source of natural light. Here are some tips for ergonomic lighting in your office:

• Choose lamps with LEDs. They are more economical, respect the environment and provide optimal lighting quality.
• Do not hesitate to go for an adaptable and height adjustable lamp, quite simply because the object will be better able to adapt to your constraints.
• Don’t hesitate to power your office with multiple light sources rather than just one. This makes it more flexible and therefore better suited to adapt to your needs.
• Occupational medicine recommends the use of desk lamps emitting between 2700 and 3000 Kelvin (unit for color temperature). This provides natural ergonomic lighting.
• Finally, do not hesitate to purchase a lamp with a design to your taste. This object will accompany you for hours on end: its beauty will brighten up, both literally and figuratively, your long and hard days of work.

Ergonomic desk lamp models

The ergonomic Manutan desk lamp

Currently priced at less than 45 euros, the Manutan workstation lamp covers all the prerequisites for ergonomic office lighting (use of LEDs, flexibility, 3 levels of light intensity). Not to spoil anything, the reviews also highlight its elegant design.

The ergonomic Trust Lidéo desk lamp

Larger than the Manutan, it also ticks all the boxes for office lighting that will maintain your energy and concentration (from LEDs to 3 light intensities). However, compared to its colleague, no opinion corroborates the pleasant first impression left by this ergonomic desk lamp. It is sold on the Amazon platform at a price slightly lower than 60 euros. Its announced autonomy would exceed 5000 hours. The opportunity for you to complete many projects without affecting your concentration and your eye skills.

Protect your eyes, improve your concentration… ergonomic lighting is worth digging into when setting up your remote working position. If you pay attention to this, it will be added to an already well designed ergonomics workstation. Don’t overdo it, or you’ll never want to go back to the office …