WELL Building Standard, Well Employees

“The WELL Building Standard is an evidence-based certification program for buildings that specifically focuses on the wellness of the people who occupy the space,” explains Architect Hannah Arthur. “It really piggybacks on LEED, which was the pioneer in creating an evidence-based system for certifying buildings. Obviously, the focus was sustainability, but I think it has become more important to focus on the people.”

“The points-based certification system says that this building or this space has met certain requirements,” adds Senior Architect Alex Kircher. “In every single one of the categories, each point is based off of thoroughly documented research that actually impacts the health of the people inside of the building.”

Not only do WELL standards benefit the employees, says Design Collaborative Workplace Market Leader Kelli Warner. They also make good business sense.

“There are a number of studies that show these things lead to higher productivity rates, easier recruitment and higher retention rates. I think that’s the biggest selling point in my mind. That’s especially important to the younger working demographic. If you can document that, it’s a recruiting tool and also a retention tool,” says Warner.

“Businesses want to underline the fact that they find these things are important. It’s the certification they can get that says, ‘The health and safety of the people in our office is important, so we are implementing these number of things,’” emphasizes Arthur. “I think employers have realized investing in their workforce has a high payback. If you can make your employees happier or take your workforce and enhance their productivity, that’s a huge benefit.”