HEALTH AND WELLBEING | WELL EQUITY RATING BRINGING EQUITY TO THE WORKPLACE A new tool from Well aims to improve equity, inclusion and accessibility in the workplace. Dr Milena Stojkovic summarises the Well Equity Rating framework and explains how it can be aligned with the Well Building Standard Maggies Manchester designed by Foster + Partners A new tool for wellbeing is aiming to help organisations improve equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the workplace. A beta version of the Well Equity Rating was launched last month by the International Well Building Institute (IWBI). The rating provides a new framework of equitable policies, programmes and design interventions. It aims to encourage organisations to improve access to health and wellbeing, celebrate diversity, prioritise inclusivity, and promote sensitivity, while addressing disparities in populations that have been traditionally marginalised and underrepresented. The tool will be the latest addition to the IWBI ratings offering, which currently includes the Well Health-Safety Rating and Well Performance Rating. The Well Equity Rating will consist of more than 40 features drawn from the Well Building Standard (Well), along with new pathways and beta features. The IWBI also published a new alignment tool that clarifies how the Well Equity Rating and the Well Building Standard will be aligned, thus streamlining the documentation submission and simplifying the transitioning between the two tools. The features are classified into six action areas. The User experience and feedback action area covers integrative design approach and administration of occupants surveys, whereas the Responsible hiring and labour practices action area covers the implementation of diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) support systems and responsible labour practices. The Inclusive design action area focuses on accessible and universal design and enhanced acoustic, visual and thermal environment. The research that supported the selection of features is especially focused on the impact the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) has on marginalised groups, and on people who live with some type of disability. For example, reduced or low speech intelligibility can negatively impact occupant satisfaction and wellbeing, especially for non-native speakers and individuals with hearing loss. Similarly, prolonged exposure to bright or flickering lights can cause headaches, distraction, and lost productivity, especially for people who are neurodiverse or light sensitive. Negative health impacts may also come from exposure to glare, and research shows that people with autism tend to experience greater discomfort, especially at work. The Health benefits and services action area covers human resources (HR) offerings including health benefits, flexible work, equitable working hours, parental leave, and so on. It also includes a beta feature, Establish education and support, requiring financial support for education and/or mentoring opportunities to support career advancement and financial stability. In addition, the Supportive programmes and spaces action area echoes the Well Building Standard credits, including restorative spaces, spaces for physical activity, preferred cleaning products and healthy nourishment. Finally, the Community engagement action area aims to promote a culture of community engagement and social responsibility that supports the broader community in which the organisation operates. Its features include community engagement, provision of community space and affordable housing, as well as the new Historical acknowledgement beta feature. To be awarded the rating, projects must achieve at least 21 points, with all features accounting for one point, unless specified otherwise. To maintain the Well Equity Rating, projects undergo an annual renewal process. The Well Equity Score is an organisation-wide metric that represents the average number of points achieved in the Well Equity Rating across all subscribed locations, weighted by the number of occupants in each location. CJ DR MILENA STOJKOVIC FCIBSE is associate partner at Foster + Partners and co-chair of CIBSE Health and Wellbeing Working Group 28 November 2022 www.cibsejournal.com CIBSE Nov 22 pp28 Well Equity.indd 28 21/10/2022 18:53