Posted by kristina0224We live in a society where 90% of our time is spent indoors, and that time is beginning to drastically affect our health. The WELL Building Standard is a revolutionary new building system that looks to improve human health within built environments. According to the WELL Building Standard, the mission is to enrich “the way people live by developing space that enhance occupant health and quality of life.”
The seven categories represented in the WELL Building Standard that can greatly improve employee well-being are:
- Air
- Water
- Nourishment
- Light
- Fitness
- Comfort
- Mind
Why WELL?
If each of the seven categories are carried out even to the lowest level of WELL certification, the environment will be a healthier space in which people can live, work, and learn. Improvements to the seven areas prove to reap vast benefits to both the mental and physical health of the people who utilize the space. WELL Certified buildings are proven to maintain better air quality, have higher levels of overall comfort, and improve efficiency of the occupants inside, among many other advantages. This innovative building standard not only works alongside LEED Building Certification, but goes a step further to focus on biological sustainability. WELL wants to minimize the harmful effects on employees that built environments have imposed.
As the overall health of employees increases, so does the productivity, efficiency, and well-being of the company. The increased levels of health and comfort that come from instilling the WELL Building Standard in a space leads to maximizing human capital that can only be beneficial to a company.
A physically and mentally healthy employee takes fewer sick days, is able to complete more work, and works at a higher brain capacity than an employee who is constantly sick or stressed. The changes that WELL puts into place, such as enforcing the use of ergonomic designs, focusing on the use of natural light, encouraging the implementation of company fitness and nutrition programs, and even using new technologies like treadmill desks, help to foster a positive environment that vastly improve a company’s success and prosperity.
Environments at Work strives to make every one of our clients’ work spaces, including our own, as WELL as possible. In an industry where we help create environments in which people spend a majority of their time, it is of great importance to Environments at Work that we design spaces that are not only conducive to work, but are also people-centric; about the comfort of the users and how they function in the space as a whole. The wellness of our own employees enables us as a company to better serve our customers. A WELL Certified building allows for drastic effects to take place within the employees’ bodies and minds. We live in a time where everyone is hyper focused on sustainability for the environment, but we have perhaps forgotten about the most important part of the environment, the people who work within it. The WELL Building Standard allows us to expand our focus to health, comfort, and sustainability, not only for the planet, but also ourselves.
WELL Solutions
Enviroments at Work offers many product solutions that support the WELL Standard.
Seeking Privacy? Open work environments, with flooding natural light and better air circulation, are becoming more popular as the desire to collaborate and be social in the workplace is growing. However, the lack of privacy that comes with an open floor plan leaves some employees feeling distracted and uncomfortable. The Haworth Openest chair allows an office to maintain its open flow, while providing peace of mind and privacy in certain areas. Phone rooms are another solution to gain privacy in the workplace.
Get Moving at Work! Sitting is considered to be the new smoking, and companies are beginning to utilize sit to stand desks, like the Haworth Planes Height Adjustable Tables to encourage standing. These tables have ergonomic benefits and allow for employees to work at different heights at the push of a button. The options to sit or stand and raise or lower one’s desk increase comfort at work significantly.
Ping Pong tables and other office sports are popping up everywhere; they keep people moving. Treadmill desks are becoming increasingly more popular in offices because they provide health benefits for employees. This innovative desk is not practical for every day office work, but the idea incorporates fitness into daily office life.
Breathe Clean Air. Haworth sells TecCrete Raised Access Flooring, which is proven to drastically improve air quality in a building. Raised Access Flooring lets clean air flow through the space, and the impure air rises naturally so it can be removed from the environment. The health benefits from better air quality are immense with TecCrete Raised Access Flooring, but there is also reduced sound from the HVAC systems and foot traffic, allowing for the space to be more comfortable.
Keep It Flexible. Natural light has been proven to increase the happiness and efficiency of employees. Enclose Glass Walls from Haworth not only allow for natural light to enter the environment, but also allow for the office to maintain a workspace that appears open while simultaneously providing some sense of privacy. Lower panels in cubicles or work areas also permit more natural light to flow freely through the office.
Related articles:
Haworth Whitepaper \\ Workplace Design for Well-being
Delos™ Announces Strategic Alliance with CBRE Group Inc. \\ Delos and CBRE Join Together to Advance Wellness in the Built Environment
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