What is the WELL Building Standard?

For businesses seeking success, having dedicated and motivated employees is a key factor.

As the competition for talent increases, companies who offer a great working environment and comprehensive benefits can now prove that what they are offering is making their employees happy.

Thanks to the emergence of accreditation systems like the WELL Building Standard, businesses can now demonstrate that they are creating well-rounded workplaces that ensure the physical and psychological health of their employees.

By focusing on everything from air quality, lighting, and design to occupant engagement and wellness, such standards provide an extra layer of assurance for potential candidates, who can now easily differentiate between those companies who truly value and build an atmosphere of well-being, versus those just claiming to.

Companies with these certifications are not only capable of recruiting and retaining employees; they also stand among the best in terms of employee satisfaction, enhancing their brand through market leadership. Moreover, beyond making companies more attractive to applicants, initiatives such as WELL demonstrate a positive commitment to employee health and wellbeing on multiple levels. Such standards are invaluable for helping businesses create even better workplaces where employees thrive – thereby leading them further down the path towards success.

What does a “WELL Building Standard” look like and how can businesses look to achieve this?

WELL is a rating system used to confirm an organisations’ commitment to the health and well-being of its people. The certification is accessible and applicable to every type of sector, including offices, retail, education, industrial and hospitality.

With 108 features and 10 concepts, WELL is a roadmap for improving the quality of the air, water and light with design decisions that not only keep teams connected, but also facilitate a good night’s sleep, support mental health, and help people do their best work every day.

Using seven categories – air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, and mind – the WELL standard includes strategies to improve the overall nutrition, fitness, mood, productivity, and performance of those using the building. Workplaces will receive a plaque indicative of one of the four levels of certification based on the total number of points earned (WELL Certified Bronze, WELL Certified Silver, WELL Certified Gold, WELL Certified Platinum).

By focusing on the physical and social environment, WELL helps building owners and operators to create a space that prioritises their people to ultimately optimise the performance of their business.

Commenting on WELL, Matthew Trowbridge, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Office, International WELL Building Institute, said:

“More than ever before, companies are being held to a higher standard for how they care for their employees and manage the downstream impacts of their products and services. International WELL Building Institute applies the science in the WELL Building Standard to help organisations meet and exceed industry performance standards to become leaders in health.”

How can smart technology help workplaces achieve a WELL building standard?

One of the major contributing factors to a positive workplace experience is the internal environment and smart technology plays a big role in this.

To achieve a WELL rating, smart technology can be used to monitor air quality, minimise glare from sunlight, and deliver smart lighting solutions tailored to individual needs. Additionally, ventilation requirements need to be delivered and temperature maintained at a comfortable level. By ensuring sound acoustics too, an impactful working environment can be achieved.

All these elements are combined with policies such as encouraging mindful eating habits and flexible working arrangements to support new parents, helping companies succeed both ethically and financially by putting the well-being of their employees first. With WELL providing smart solutions to ensure employee satisfaction and productivity, it’s not just workplaces – but employees too –that will benefit from its results.