Five years into the remote work era, the push to bring employees back to the office continues. But the modern workplace can’t simply revert to its pre-pandemic state.
With 14% of U.S. office space still vacant, return-to-office mandates remain a tough sell. In fact, 46% of employees have said they would consider leaving their job if required to return full time.
A key reason for this resistance is that many offices still aren’t designed for how people actually work today. Traditional environments often fail to support diverse work styles and preferences, leaving employees disengaged before the workday even begins. Few elements highlight this gap more clearly than lighting, which quietly shapes individual focus, energy, and engagement throughout the day. This gap isn’t just a matter of perception; it has measurable consequences.
A study from the University of Zilina found nearly 70% of participants confirmed that lighting affected their mood and concentration, while half reported the color of light influenced both their mood and job performance. This makes rethinking lighting’s impact on alertness, comfort, and productivity essential.
One Office, Many Work Vibes
Despite evolving work styles, many offices continue to rely on one-size-fits-all lighting, a design choice that overlooks how differently employees respond to their environments. This variability came into sharp focus through Toggled’s “What’s Your Workspace Vibe?” quiz, which invited U.S. workers to explore how lighting and workspace design influence their energy levels and focus. The results revealed five distinct workplace “vibes,” underscoring just how differently people perform under varying lighting conditions:
- Digital Maestro (23%) – Tech-savvy innovators who thrive in connected, high-tech spaces. Smart, adjustable lighting is best suited for this vibe, adapting to each project and keeping pace with evolving work demands.
- Cozy Collaborator (19%) – Team-oriented professionals who gravitate to warm, welcoming environments. Soft, ambient lighting fosters an inviting atmosphere that encourages connection and collaboration.
- Morning Motivator (21%) – Go-getters who feel energized by bright, natural morning light. Bright, invigorating lighting helps maintain their momentum and focus from the first meeting to the end of the day.
- Nature Nurturer (17%) – Creatives inspired by nature and calming surroundings, including warm lighting tones. Warm lighting tones, complemented by desktop grow lights, can bring the outdoors in, nurturing both ideas and collaboration.
- Powerhouse Performer (18%) – Focused achievers who excel under bright, high-intensity lighting. Ultra-bright illumination is ideal to stay sharp and driven, powering through high-stakes projects without missing a beat.
These results highlight a fundamental truth: Productivity doesn’t come from uniformity. Some employees perform best under warm, yellow lighting, while others need bright, white illumination to stay sharp. Traditional offices have only been able to support one mode at a time, but technology is changing that. Smart building platforms now act as the bridge between rigid infrastructure and the dynamic needs of today’s workforce. By leveraging networked lighting controls and smart LED luminaires, facilities managers can move beyond the limitations of static overhead lighting to create adaptive environments that support multiple work styles within the same office footprint.
Personalization Without the Price Tag
This shift toward personalization no longer requires a complete overhaul of a building’s existing infrastructure. The availability of plug-and-play smart building platforms streamlines the integration of remote control features into existing hardware, offering a straightforward and cost-effective retrofitting solution. Once implemented, these systems enable real-time adjustments across zones for different working styles, such as bright, high-intensity lighting for “Powerhouse Performers,” warmer tones for “Nature Nurturers,” and flexible settings everywhere in between.
Control becomes decentralized. Employees can fine-tune brightness and color temperature directly from a mobile app, creating lighting shades that support their focus and comfort. At the same time, building operators maintain centralized oversight and gain a low-cost alternative to traditional renovations. The result is a flexible, people-centered workspace that actively supports productivity, rather than constraining it.
The return on investment for adaptive workspaces extends beyond comfort. Data-driven insights on employees’ different “vibes” can allow facilities teams to think about how they can easily design specific zones that align with how people work best, from brightly lit areas to softer spaces for collaboration.
Smarter Lighting, Lower Energy Use
Equally important, personalization doesn’t mean higher energy consumption. On the contrary, smart lighting systems and building technologies can allow building owners to significantly lower energy use, carbon emissions, and operating costs by providing granular control over the facility. Through motion sensors, occupancy tracking, and automated scheduling, energy is only used when and where it’s needed. This can drastically diminish waste in vacant spaces and potentially deliver up to 80% in energy efficiency savings within the first year.
The workplace is evolving, and the office must evolve with it. Smart lighting and adaptive workspace design represent more than incremental upgrades; they signal a shift toward employee-centered environments that recognize and respond to individual needs. Organizations that invest in flexible, intelligent systems will create offices people actually want to return to; spaces that drive productivity, support well-being, and operate more sustainably.
In the ongoing debate between remote work and return to office, the real winner will be the workplace that puts people first.
Dan Hollenkamp is chief operating officer of Toggled, a provider of intelligent building management solutions.