New WELL Coworking Rating Standard Reflects Changing Workspace

11/22/2024

Reflecting the changing workspace climate in institutional and commercial facilities, the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) has developed the WELL Coworking Rating. 

IWBI teamed with The Instant Group, a London-based workspace management company, to develop the new rating. The coworking rating includes 50 features spanning all the WELL concepts for facilities, which include air and water quality, light and thermal comfort and physical fitness and nourishment. 

FacilitiesNet spoke with Jessica Cooper, the chief product officer for IWBI, about the new coworking rating and how it can be applied by facility managers in this workspace. Cooper also discussed how the WELL Building Standard has evolved since it was created a decade ago. 

FacilitiesNet: Why the need for the coworking rating? 

Cooper: The coworking and flexible space industry is growing rapidly, driven by a number of factors including but not limited to flexible work models, entrepreneurial boom, workforce mobility and technological improvements. The demand for coworking and flexible space is expected to continue to rise. Yet, despite this rapid growth, a well-being benchmark specific to this market did not exist. Our WELL ratings focus on a targeted subset of strategies from within the WELL Standard, which helps organizations focus on a specific goal. In this case, this rating fills the health standards gap in the coworking and flexible office market by tailoring to the unique needs of these workplaces. 

FacilitiesNet: What entities contributed to the forming of this rating? 

Cooper: The rating was informed by the expertise of industry players, including The Instant Group, the largest global marketplace for flexible workspace. The rating is made accessible to all potential users through an innovative partnership with The Instant Group, which is administering the rating through its flexible and coworking marketplace platform. Businesses that earn the WELL Coworking seal can communicate to occupiers that their workspaces are designed and operated to enhance overall comfort, satisfaction and performance. The rating will be searchable on The Instant Group’s coworking and flexible space marketplace. With the launch of the rating, operators of coworking and flexible workspaces can be recognized for their health and well-being leadership, while giving occupiers of these workspaces crucial information about well-being attributes before booking or signing onto coworking space. 

FacilitiesNet: What are the differences between the coworking and the original WELL ratings? 

Cooper: The WELL Standard is a comprehensive library of more than 500 evidence-based strategies to help us thrive. These features are holistic and backed by more than 7,000 research citations that validate their impact. The strategies are organized into 10 concepts: Air, Water, Nourishment, Light, Thermal Comfort, Movement, Materials, Mind and Community. Implementing WELL strategies puts you on a path to earn achievements like WELL Ratings and Certifications at individual locations. Aside from the WELL Coworking Rating, other WELL ratings include: 

• The WELL Health-Safety Rating focuses on building maintenance and emergency planning, driving resilience into the center of business policies and building operations. 
• The WELL Equity Rating helps organizations take action toward diversity, equity and inclusion goals, driving improvements in company culture and employee health. 
• The WELL Performance Rating provides a roadmap for organizations to monitor, measure and validate building performance across key indoor environmental quality indicators. 

WELL Certification is the highest pinnacle of achievement of strategies across all 10 concepts within the WELL Standard. Certification requires that you meet certain preconditions or required strategies across every concept and that you pass onsite performance testing. Locations can become WELL Certified at the bronze, silver, gold or platinum level. 

FacilitiesNet: How did the idea of including coworking and flexible workspaces under the WELL umbrella emerge? 

Cooper: The WELL Standard has always been relevant to coworking and flexible workspaces. One of the first coworking spaces to earn WELL Certification was Workbar’s Back Bay coworking space, which earned the mark of excellence in 2018.  Still, to enable market transformation towards health in this unique work environment, there remained a need for an approach that was more targeted to the coworking and flexible space industry. Our goal for the rating was to create the first standard focused on improving health and well-being in coworking and flexible spaces. The WELL Coworking Rating serves as a roadmap for operators of coworking and flexible spaces, outlining ways to design and maintain workplaces that put people first.  

FacilitiesNet: For a facility seeking this rating, what are examples of the kinds of projects that facility managers should pursue? 

Cooper: Pulling from strategies across all 10 concepts in the WELL Standard, the rating outlines more than 40 health and well-being solutions. These have been grouped into seven action areas:  

• Restorative Places 
• Productive Work Environments 
• Health Promoting Food and Movement 
• Air and Water Quality 
• Maintenance and Operation Policies 
• Well-being Education and Engagement 
• Innovation 

There are 53 points available within the rating, of which a location needs to earn 23 to achieve the rating. Achievement is verified through a third-party documentation review. We recommend that any coworking or flexible space explore the feasibility of pursuing this rating. It deploys design solutions and policy optimizations.  

FacilitiesNet: What kind of benefits can a business or facility realize by achieving the WELL Coworking Rating? 

Cooper: From an occupant satisfaction and talent attraction standpoint, the WELL Coworking Rating offers a collection of evidence-based strategies from the WELL Standard aimed at cultivating flexible workspaces that nurture individual well-being and boost productivity. Businesses that earn the WELL Coworking seal can communicate to occupiers that their workspaces are designed to enhance overall comfort, satisfaction and performance. Research shows that implementing evidence-based health interventions in buildings helps support workplace satisfaction, comfort and productivity, while also helping organizations better attract and retain talent. A 2022 study found that WELL Certified offices increased overall employee satisfaction by 28 percent and supported a 10-point jump in median productivity. In addition, the growing research behind the business case for healthy buildings shows that these strategies help drive several economic benefits, including higher rents and longer lease terms. The rating also helps with market differentiation, as organizations that achieve the rating for one or more locations demonstrate health leadership. Earning WELL achievements demonstrates a strong commitment to employee well-being and sustainability and can enhance environmental and social governance (ESG) strategy and reporting. 

FacilitiesNet: Since its inception, how has IWBI evolved to meet the changing demands of building owners and occupants? 

Cooper: 2024 marks the 10th anniversary of the WELL Building Standard’s engagement with the market. In the past decade, WELL adoption has grown exponentially. Momentum continues today, with adoption in nearly 140 countries and 74,000 commercial or residential locations totaling 5 billion square feet of space. The WELL Standard is updated on a regular basis to incorporate the latest science, public health research and effective design interventions. Turn back to it year after year to see the latest health-focused strategies. First and foremost, the evolution of WELL is informed by the people implementing WELL in locations around the globe. Their questions help make the strategies easier to understand. Their innovation and alternative proposals create new pathways for compliance. Further, our advisory groups guide the application of WELL across different communities and industries. We regularly convene more than 14 advisories made up of over 600 subject matter experts from across more than 40 countries. These groups volunteer their time and expertise to shape the evolution of the WELL Standard and the future of health in buildings, organizations and communities. From building scientists to past U.S. surgeon generals, leading subject matter experts are helping us bridge the gap between research and the application of WELL. Advisories are refreshed annually, with new subject matter experts joining our network every year. Our Governance Council ensures the WELL Standard consists of strategies that are grounded in the latest evidence, presented for third party input across relevant stakeholders, verifiable and implementable. With the release of new ratings, such as the WELL Coworking Rating, we can continue to point organizations to subsets of strategies within the broader WELL Standard that help them address their specific goals.  

Dave Lubach is the executive editor of the facilities market.