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The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

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Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#191

Post by siruncledrew »

Someone wrote: post #56
sarabande wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which countries?

Certainly the EU. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A... : ”8. Natural and artificial room lighting 8.1. Workplaces must as far as possible receive sufficient natural light and be equipped with artificial lighting adequate for the protection of workers' safety and health. […] 10. Windows and skylights 10.1. It must be possible for workers to open, close, adjust or secure windows, skylights an…

It makes sense considering the lesser sunlight hours certain countries receive (especially parts of UK, Iceland, Germany, Scandinavia): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Europe_sunshine_hour...

Sunlight is not only good for morale, but also good for health.

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#192

Post by WhompingWindows »

gambiting wrote: post #71

Oh yes please. I work as a games programmer at a massive studio and it looks like 90% of people here prefer complete darkness during the day, to the point where they have these umbrella-like covers above their desks to cover any light from the lamps that somehow miraculously are still on. Me and few other people occupy a little corner next to a window that we stubbornly refuse to close the blinds on, despite bi-weekl…

What kind of lights are they blocking? If it's a super bright fluorescent light, those have a very blue and electric color, compared to natural light or a warmer, softer light, I hate those fluorescent tubes.

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#193

Post by ss2003 »

l33tbro wrote: post #113

Currently working alone in my own windowless office in an almost completely windowless building. Compared to the previous 'open-plan' gig where I sat opposite opposite Jill-from-Comms and Sales-bro Bryan, it rules so hard. So yeah,"the #1 office perk" for me is not getting interrupted with inane shit every ten minutes.

I (previously) had the worst of both worlds, sharing a windowless closet with 5 other people.

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#194

Post by WhompingWindows »

While my room in the office (with 7 cubes in it) does have 4 windows, they are blocked with strong black metal mesh for security reasons. Also, most of the desks in the room face away from the window, so none of us are actually looking towards windows. It's not ideal, but I use breaks and lunch to just quickly walk around the block and get some perspective on obstacles I'm facing.

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#195

Post by TheCapn »

My personal experience/preference is merely that a "change of scenery" is a highly favorable perk. I have a private office with a window, and after struggling against code for long enough it is so nice to turn my gaze outside and watch the dog park next door.

But I say scenery change, because one of my favorite things about my job is that I work off site frequently at industrial plants, agricultural facilities and the like. Its like a moderate vacation to just be away from a desk, even though my laptop is attached to me the entire time. Working in a dingy concrete bunker can be as much of a perk as it is to look out my window.

Mostly just monotonous environments tend to be what bothers me most I think. My last job was at a business attached to a mall (you could walk out the doors into the mall food court on the second level). Coffee breaks were often just walking around the downtown core or through the attached public buildings over walkways. Changing your environment is such a massive thing for me to help the day/week/month/years not feel like one long slog

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#196

Post by biztos »

ensignavenger wrote: post #145
Someone wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Certainly the EU. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A... : ”8. Natural and artificial room lighting 8.1. Workplaces must as far as possible receive sufficient natural light and be equipped with artificial lighting adequate for the protection of workers' safety and health. […] 10. Windows and skylights 10.1. It must be possible for workers to open, close, adjust or secure windows, skylights an…

"as far as possible"... I wonder how that is interpreted? Does that exclude buildings older than the code? Does it prevent new buildings from being constructed without these features? It would always be "possible" if enough money was spent on it (and you ignore other considerations, like historical values)...

It definitely does not apply to restaurant kitchens. For older buildings not at all -- plenty of totally windowless and even basement kitchens -- and even for newer buildings I think "serving station open to the restaurant floor" counts as "natural light" (and actually isn't all that bad).

Where I just had lunch they get natural light whenever a waiter opens the door to bring some food out.

Source: I live in the EU and have been inside a lot of restaurant kitchens in both Germany and Hungary.

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#198

Post by WalterSear »

siruncledrew wrote: post #191
Someone wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Certainly the EU. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A... : ”8. Natural and artificial room lighting 8.1. Workplaces must as far as possible receive sufficient natural light and be equipped with artificial lighting adequate for the protection of workers' safety and health. […] 10. Windows and skylights 10.1. It must be possible for workers to open, close, adjust or secure windows, skylights an…

It makes sense considering the lesser sunlight hours certain countries receive (especially parts of UK, Iceland, Germany, Scandinavia): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Europe_sunshine_hour... Sunlight is not only good for morale, but also good for health.

The direct physiological benefits are blocked by glass, which is naturally UV opaque, fwiw.

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#199

Post by bstar77 »

l33tbro wrote: post #113

Currently working alone in my own windowless office in an almost completely windowless building. Compared to the previous 'open-plan' gig where I sat opposite opposite Jill-from-Comms and Sales-bro Bryan, it rules so hard. So yeah,"the #1 office perk" for me is not getting interrupted with inane shit every ten minutes.

My solution was to buy a pair of headphones with good sound isolation. The building could be burning down and I'd wouldn't give a shit.

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#200

Post by egypturnash »

sean-duffy wrote: post #120
gambiting wrote: post #71

Oh yes please. I work as a games programmer at a massive studio and it looks like 90% of people here prefer complete darkness during the day, to the point where they have these umbrella-like covers above their desks to cover any light from the lamps that somehow miraculously are still on. Me and few other people occupy a little corner next to a window that we stubbornly refuse to close the blinds on, despite bi-weekl…

Interesting to see that this seems like it might be a theme at game dev places. I remember reading in Masters of Doom about developers constructing similar makeshift structures to shield their workspaces from light at John Romero's company, Ion Storm.

Id and Ion Storm are/were both in Texas. There’s a lot of sun there. Enough that you can afford to hide from it.

Anecdotally, I was a lot more nocturnal when I lived in New Orleans than when I lived in Boston and Seattle. It’s impossible to get too much sun up here, but down in the tropics, that’s a definite problem.

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