TheaterFire

Lights on or off in the office?

Posted by NotABoyAnAbomimation@reddit | sysadmin | View on Reddit | 109 comments

Which do you prefer?

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109 Comments

VeeVeeFaboo@reddit

Lights stay on, regardless of personal taste.  OSHA says so.  Like it or lump it.
View on Reddit #82295225

_deanomeara@reddit

100% off for me, this can be automated though so banks of desks have them on and banks of desks have them off. [https://youtu.be/dyZYkad\_Vvw](https://youtu.be/dyZYkad_Vvw)
View on Reddit #78649644

Iron_Yesu@reddit

Overhead lights off, warm dim lamps on.
View on Reddit #77460461

tdressel@reddit

This is exactly how I keep my office. Window blinds half open.
View on Reddit #77482670

battmain@reddit

Damn this person lucky. They can see outside! Some of us have to depend on nearby webcams or quietly access the cameras if we didn't want to manage them.
View on Reddit #77486033

tdressel@reddit

It's a double edged sword. Ground level parking lot where everyone looks in.
View on Reddit #77487608

mycatsnameisnoodle@reddit

Could be worse. The only view I have out my window is just more of the office. People cut through the office and stare at me like a zoo exhibit.
View on Reddit #77492208

battmain@reddit

Lol, memories of a long gone company, when my team had desks in a fire exit hallway. You could feel the eyes walking behind as you tried to get stuff done. This was way back before today's fire rules.
View on Reddit #77570728

ARandomGuy_OnTheWeb@reddit

If I wasn't in an open office, this would be my go to.
View on Reddit #77509940

Arudinne@reddit

This person knows IT caves well.
View on Reddit #77476710

StuckinSuFu@reddit

Off. Natural light is enough
View on Reddit #77460469

Dismal-File-9542@reddit

Imagine having natural light in your office must be nice
View on Reddit #77465417

ThinInvestigator4953@reddit

I dont even have a window in my office.
View on Reddit #77475201

TipIll3652@reddit

Same, my office is an old conference room. 😑
View on Reddit #77565520

angrydeuce@reddit

Ditto. But my office is also where we store all the hardware, so it makes sense lol
View on Reddit #77487620

got-trunks@reddit

If windows was anywhere near my office I would throw a fit of rage.
View on Reddit #77484542

krilu@reddit

I work in the back of a strip mall
View on Reddit #77478299

Top-Perspective-4069@reddit

It is. Especially since it's a south facing window. At my house.
View on Reddit #77485238

Low-Feedback-1688@reddit

Subtle flex for the windows :)
View on Reddit #77505607

Asleep_Spray274@reddit

🤣🤣 showing off that you have windows 🤣🤣
View on Reddit #77466292

StuckinSuFu@reddit

I don't work in the basement of a government data center Anymore. Lol
View on Reddit #77466928

hells_cowbells@reddit

I still do. :( In fact, my office is literally embedded in the side of a hill. Our office doubles as a tornado shelter.
View on Reddit #77469877

Bright_Arm8782@reddit

You can pretend to be a hobbit.
View on Reddit #77477024

Romeo9594@reddit

My only windows look into a hallway and are small
View on Reddit #77473004

Fit_Indication_2529@reddit

yeah there are no windows in the basement sub level 3e
View on Reddit #77468591

hells_cowbells@reddit

But there is a sign stating "Beware of leopard"
View on Reddit #77469918

inarius1984@reddit

I like it when we turn the overhead fans on full blast when it's 32 degrees outside. It's GREAT.
View on Reddit #77535425

Unable-Entrance3110@reddit

Depends on if the sun is up or not, I suppose. I do like to be able to see things.
View on Reddit #77526995

Vindalfur@reddit

I want overhead lights off, warm white lamps dim and on, (and blue light filter on pc at all time). Boss wants overhead lights on on brightest settings, and lamp on brightest cool white setting. So all lights are always on on brightest setting.......
View on Reddit #77524395

GYuGYu_jol@reddit

with my colleague we keep them lights off, then the third one comes in late and slams the switches and we go blind for 10-15 seconds. so we try to switch them on carefully to adapt by the arrival of the third
View on Reddit #77510938

xelanil@reddit

All lights on. Windows open, overheads on, one floor lamp on, two desk lamps on, ambient light behind monitor on, two daylight lamps on.
View on Reddit #77509687

puffNation@reddit

shirt off
View on Reddit #77505025

Kuipyr@reddit

Spending all day in a dark windowless office and then driving home in the dark is a hard pass.
View on Reddit #77495172

F7xWr@reddit

Sign me up!
View on Reddit #77495951

nayhem_jr@reddit

Previous management did away with windows during the remodel. I’m stuck with LED tubes.
View on Reddit #77493896

SaucyKnave95@reddit

Lights off. After all, I've got Windows all over my office. :D For real, lights on. I'm old enough now that dim light means I can't properly see what I'm doing.
View on Reddit #77493341

CthulhuBathwater@reddit

Home office, off I have a window. Physically in the office, overheads off and dim lamp. 
View on Reddit #77485990

K2SOJR@reddit

Overhead lights off and one lamp on in the corner with a full spectrum bulb
View on Reddit #77482775

TheLastRaysFan@reddit

When I worked in the office, I was the first one in. 7am - 4pm shift It was glorious. Overhead lights off, sunrise through the windows, waking up with the sun... THEN THE BOOMER INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGER STOMPS IN FLIPPING ON EVERY FUCKING LIGHT IN THE BUILDING
View on Reddit #77460737

K2SOJR@reddit

Move the bulbs enough to break the contact. Let him think they are broken and he'll probably be too lazy to fix it
View on Reddit #77482376

BadCatBehavior@reddit

After covid happened and most of my floor started working from home, IT still needed at least one person onsite, so we'd rotate office days. We were the only department with that requirement, but one person on the accounting team preferred to work in the office for whatever reason, so she'd come every day and turn all the lights on full blast! For a while I could turn off the lights in my section, but then she moved closer to the IT area which was on the same light switch. And the reason she moved over by us: the sun was too bright in her old spot!
View on Reddit #77464974

HaveYouSeenMyFon@reddit

Ha! The irony in that last sentence.
View on Reddit #77476239

BlackV@reddit

covid was so good, I had a whole office and datacenter to myself, no lights anywhere get in in the monring pull the blinds up, all natural light
View on Reddit #77475638

Ay0_King@reddit

Get these boomers out of here.
View on Reddit #77463580

azzers214@reddit

Non-issue. This is a "specific people" problem, not a real one.
View on Reddit #77460967

Mrhiddenlotus@reddit

Imagine thinking the light going into your brain is a non issue is wild
View on Reddit #77479085

azzers214@reddit

The amazing thing about the human brain is the ability to adjust, modify behavior, and process selectively. If the light is the single biggest issue you have, it's saying something.
View on Reddit #77479222

Mrhiddenlotus@reddit

Sure, and you can adapt to not having food by your body going to starvation mode. Why not reduce barriers to efficient work?
View on Reddit #77479353

azzers214@reddit

Not all people have the same issues. Your "ideal environment" is not someone else's. It's presumptuous to believe that it is - so don't ask me, ask the people you work with. If you're all happy then great. But maybe someone is just putting up with your preferences.
View on Reddit #77479430

Mrhiddenlotus@reddit

But there's actual studies that point to how lighting effects productivity. It's only partially preference.
View on Reddit #77479787

azzers214@reddit

I'm in the process of a comment delete so this is going to start reading weird - but don't try to out argue me - I don't work with you nor do I care. You're not really convincing me there's a universal idea - just that it's what you like and in some people it's better.
View on Reddit #77480069

Mrhiddenlotus@reddit

Like I just said, the data disagrees with you
View on Reddit #77480250

azzers214@reddit

For some people by your own admission.
View on Reddit #77480279

Ssakaa@reddit

Ah, the joys of having independent spaces where people get a choice...
View on Reddit #77470053

azzers214@reddit

Just people fighting because people enjoy fighting from my experience.
View on Reddit #77470754

Mrhiddenlotus@reddit

Half a dozen ambient lights, no overhead ever
View on Reddit #77479011

D1TAC@reddit

Lights off. Night light on the monitors. Every job I worked has been always lights off. People were amazed. Lol
View on Reddit #77460845

Mrhiddenlotus@reddit

The way I would immediately fall asleep
View on Reddit #77478812

baskura@reddit

Wait, you guys have lights?
View on Reddit #77478616

Mister_Brevity@reddit

Photosensitivity is pretty common among those on the autism spectrum. IT workers are pretty commonly on the IT spectrum.
View on Reddit #77462009

PoeTheGhost@reddit

I miss this Atrium. The offices along the outer walls had huge windows too. Got a sunburn indoors once, during a 5 hour conference call "fixing" an issue caused by Dev depreciating a feature we were still under contract for with Fortune 5 clients.
View on Reddit #77469697

Mister_Brevity@reddit

When I worked for fruit flavored computer company we had similar, I hated getting sunburned indoors lol
View on Reddit #77477518

SRF1987@reddit

Off
View on Reddit #77476940

kmsaelens@reddit

Lights completely on. No windows in my office. With my sleep apnea I will fall asleep otherwise. :(
View on Reddit #77475940

geegol@reddit

Lights off when our manager isn’t here. But when he is here, the lights are on. I prefer to have them off.
View on Reddit #77475680

Aware-Bid-8860@reddit

Always off
View on Reddit #77475671

TheDeafOne@reddit

I keep em off as much as I can! Most folks keep em off, but there's a new hire that keeps turning em on when everyone in the cubes prefer em off!
View on Reddit #77475179

ApprehensiveTea3030@reddit

I have a dimmer switch, so my lights are usually at around 15% brightness
View on Reddit #77474993

mr_data_lore@reddit

Off, always.
View on Reddit #77473883

TYGRDez@reddit

Which do I prefer? Off, with warm lighting provided from desk/floor lamps. Which do I actually work with every day? Bright white overhead fluorescents, baby.
View on Reddit #77473873

jfarre20@reddit

I have a dimmer at work and its all the way down, my office is very dim, monitors are dim, from the frosted glass front door looks like the lights are off, no outside windows, makes me cozy/sleepy.
View on Reddit #77473739

FletchGordon@reddit

Overheads off, lamp on desk. I also have windows to the outside world.
View on Reddit #77473196

Sunsparc@reddit

I worked with overhead lights on for the longest time and eventually got fed up with it. Bought a cheap stand lamp with a warm bulb and turned the overhead lights off in my office. My eyestrain vanished the very next day. Now that I work from home, I usually leave all lights off. I also run F.lux and Night Mode on every device I can to make the screen a warmer temperature color.
View on Reddit #77472627

foadbot@reddit

I prefer that the power be off, not just the lights
View on Reddit #77472142

Japjer@reddit

Overhead off, lamps on
View on Reddit #77472126

Fleeting_Victory@reddit

Always off.
View on Reddit #77471979

binaryhextechdude@reddit

I don't get a choice. At home I have low wattage lamps.
View on Reddit #77471705

ProfessionalEven296@reddit

I worked in a place where it was so dim, I had to supply my own desk lamp.
View on Reddit #77471322

thecravenone@reddit

I once tripped in the pitch dark support section of the office and then sent an email about OSHA light recommendations to HR. So uh... on.
View on Reddit #77471104

bukkithedd@reddit

Depends on what other lightsources I have, but off I can choose.
View on Reddit #77470465

asoge@reddit

Lights on, everywhere. I won't have any HR/Security issue come up that no cctv could capture conclusively because it was too dark.
View on Reddit #77469331

Anonymo123@reddit

when i was in the office over 9 years ago, we had a locked room due to the work we did. We all agreed no overhead lights and desklamps of various flavors. It was a bit of a personality thing as to what we did with the lamps and that space. One of the few things I miss about being in an office. now its my home office with led lights and the glow of 7 monitors lol
View on Reddit #77469106

Lukage@reddit

They removed the light switches. They're on until the lights burn out or the breaker is flipped.
View on Reddit #77467792

Drew707@reddit

I work from home and most of my lights are Hue. If I am working during the day I keep it on the Read setting which is a warm light, my SO usually keeps hers on Concentrate which is a cooler white, and then if I am working in the evening, I set it to Relax which is a dim and deep warm.
View on Reddit #77466824

nycola@reddit

Your venn diagram of sysadmins, people who hate overhead lights, and people with ASD is probably closer to a circle than of borroman rings.
View on Reddit #77466413

Rhythm_Killer@reddit

Always had a window! But stuck with overhead lights in the winter months
View on Reddit #77465709

Doublestack00@reddit

I removed 4 of the 6 bulbs, so I guess I am at roughly 16%, so all most off.
View on Reddit #77465361

ncc74656m@reddit

Off, obviously. If you need something, use a small light.
View on Reddit #77465228

DidYouTryToRestart@reddit

I usually work with natural light or dim lights then some boomer comes and turns all the lights on
View on Reddit #77464953

TFTP69@reddit

(Harsh Florescent) Lights on, I'm at work and don't want to fall asleep. Envious of those of you who have "natural light", 2 careers, 30 years and I've never had a window. I never know the weather unless I leave for lunch, and it's usually dark when I leave.
View on Reddit #77462287

Otto-Korrect@reddit

I have a window that almost fills one wall of my office, but it has a downside. VERY leaky and cold in the Winter, and in the Summer the late afternoon Sun angles in and it becomes an oven. I'll still take it over no window, though.
View on Reddit #77464889

BadCatBehavior@reddit

I had a window with a nice view, but then we downsized our office space. The choice was either put IT in the big open cubicle floor with everyone else and deal with all the noise and interruptions, or take over a conference room and have privacy (also a place to store all our shit) but no window. We picked the conference room haha
View on Reddit #77463667

matt95110@reddit

I worked with a guy who absolutely hated fluorescent lights. On multiple occasions he was caught on camera bringing a ladder into the office and removing lights from his area.
View on Reddit #77462379

Otto-Korrect@reddit

I've given a half-turn to the ones in my ceiling disconnecting them. So even if somebody does flip them on the light doesn't drill its way into my head.
View on Reddit #77464768

okcboomer87@reddit

All the light I need comes from link activity lights.
View on Reddit #77460873

Otto-Korrect@reddit

I don't need night lights in my house. Pretty much every room has enough devices with an LED or 5 to light the way perfectly when my eyes are adjusted. I tried counting once, but gave up at 30.
View on Reddit #77464578

broke_keyboard_@reddit

and sound of the fans... awww, peaceful... Damn the Halon Gas. At least you will go quick if it goes.
View on Reddit #77461999

aric8456@reddit

Off
View on Reddit #77464559

Otto-Korrect@reddit

In 20 years, the ONLY times I've had my lights on are on the rare occasion where I'm doing an all-nighter and the small lamp by my keyboard is not enough to see by. The office lights are drop ceiling fluorescents, and kill my eyes.
View on Reddit #77464442

Razgriz6@reddit

Half and half. These young IT cats are strange and want lights on. lol
View on Reddit #77464333

thaneliness@reddit

At home office: big light off, small lamp on desk on. I face the window
View on Reddit #77464213

BadCatBehavior@reddit

My whole team prefers to keep our IT cave pitch black and it drives me nuts haha. We have no window, and while I dislike harsh overhead lighting, I still need to be able to see! I need to get a lamp for my desk or something.
View on Reddit #77464042

BrentNewland@reddit

Motion sensitive light switches.
View on Reddit #77463232

topher358@reddit

Lights on, with monitor backlighting. Night light mode in Windows. The more natural light the better. I only have one pair of eyes and try to minimize eye strain.
View on Reddit #77462990

malikto44@reddit

Off. I like warm, indirect lighting, or maybe warm white Christmas tree lights.
View on Reddit #77461719

RabidTaquito@reddit

I don't get to choose anymore since we moved, but I always left the lights off. A) Natural light was more than enough and B) it's harder to sleep when the lights are on.
View on Reddit #77461686

fieroloki@reddit

Off with one of those galaxy lights that project on the ceiling.
View on Reddit #77461389

Casey3882003@reddit

During business hours on, afterhours when working off.
View on Reddit #77461057

_RexDart@reddit

50% or less; we have enormous windows
View on Reddit #77460567