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The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

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Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#91

Post by ehnto »

baby wrote: post #32
yitchelle wrote: post #20

Is this really considered a perk? It is a bit like getting paid is a perk. I work in Germany where direct access to natural sunlight is part of our OH&S policies.

I’ve worked in an office without windows, really takes a toll on you.

Likewise. It's insidious if you don't realise that's what's causing you to feel horrible. You start to think you hate your job, but it's just the workspace that's causing you to feel trapped and anxious.

Like some other people have mentioned, you start wondering if you might prefer to work construction or in a food truck or just anything so long as it's outside. But really you can get most of the way outside with a good office space and you may find you enjoy your job a whole lot more.

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#92

Post by vlehto »

sarabande wrote: post #10
Tor3 wrote: post #7

In some civilized countries natural light is actually a requirement, by law. Not in the server closet etc, but in your office it is. You can, of course, adjust the curtains or whatever to get the exact amount you prefer (which typically changes throughout the day, as the sun passes)

Which countries?

In Finland the building code requires that all office spaces and apartments have a window.

It's possible to circumvent this by putting an office into space that was designed as storage or as factory. But you will then usually also lack toilets, kitchen and decent air condition. If you do the renovation to get those things and abide by the law, you will have to arrange a window too.

In practice some individuals in overstaffed offices will work from a space that was originally storage, then negotiation room and now a shitty office room.

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#93

Post by syntaxing »

I luckily currently work in a place with a good view and natural light (though the ceiling light is on all the time too). I worked at many places where the engineers worked next to a clean room so everything was surrounded by closed off walls. I like to call it the dungeon. It really sucked during the winter since we do not notice how much snow accumulated until we left.

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#94

Post by morsch »

pluma wrote: post #48
pi-err wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IIRC Germany sort of requires all offices to have direct natural light https://www.thelocal.de/galleries/lifestyle/top-ten-weird-ge...

That list is terrible: 3: pillows may be considered passive weapons but that is irrelevant unless it is used as such or carried in a context where it is likely intended to be used as such (e.g. while participating in a demonstration). That said, assaulting random people in public with a pillow is probably still illegal because it involves assaulting random people (albeit with a weapon that's less likely to cause perm…

Note that a "passive weapon" is not a weapon. It's odd legalese for defensive equipment, including helmets, gas masks amongst other things. So a passive weapon is not a weapon at all, and pillows might be included because of their property to shield yourself, not because of the damage they can cause others.

"Passive weapons" are not illegal; it is illegal to bring them to a demonstration with the intent to use them to avoid police interventions.

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#95

Post by p2t2p »

+1. I sit next to a window and enjoy it very much. I used to sit in a middle of the hall and it was so freaking depressing - no daylight at all, always lamps that I needed to ask a guy who didn't care to swap with me.

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#96

Post by srge »

Very often on TV when I see office spaces in the US, I see rarely natural lights. They often seem to be underground or inside some refurbished industrial buildings.

Here in France we all have well lit offices with natural lights and windows. Well not all but the vast majority.

To me it seems punitive to work in a blind/artificially lit office.

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#97

Post by p2t2p »

yitchelle wrote: post #20

Is this really considered a perk? It is a bit like getting paid is a perk. I work in Germany where direct access to natural sunlight is part of our OH&S policies.

With that openspace crap it hard to get the daylight even though the building has large windows. You sit somewhere in the middle of the raw, closer to the other end from the window and your colleagues close blinds because it apparently too bright for their dank dark color schemes in their editors.

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#98

Post by rplnt »

srge wrote: post #96

Very often on TV when I see office spaces in the US, I see rarely natural lights. They often seem to be underground or inside some refurbished industrial buildings. Here in France we all have well lit offices with natural lights and windows. Well not all but the vast majority. To me it seems punitive to work in a blind/artificially lit office.

I'd guess the number one reason is it's easier (cheaper) to film if you don't have to fake natural light.

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#99

Post by taneq »

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…

I think it's interesting that the comments here seem almost universally in favour of bright natural lighting, when clearly there are plenty of people (at least in gamedev) who feel otherwise. I tend to prefer a dimly lit room and am perfectly happy with the only light being from my monitors. Then again as an ex-gamedev troglodyte I'm also happiest working from 3pm-1am...

Re: The #1 Office Perk? Natural Light

#100

Post by ehnto »

another-cuppa wrote: post #88

I think some comments are missing the point. I used to work in an office that definitely had "natural light" because it did have windows, but the view from the windows was basically just other grey buildings about 10 metres away. I now work in an office where I can look out and see grass, trees, and the sky, and it's much nicer.

Trees and greenery in general take a space from "concrete wasteland" to "human living space" for me. I have no idea why we build plazas as big concrete slabs. Who thought that was what people wanted?

Who has every thought to themselves, gee, I sure wish there was more flat concrete to look at.

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