The International WELL Building Institute has teamed up with The Instant Group to launch the WELL Coworking Rating, a new health leadership benchmark designed for co-working and flexible spaces.
The pair, which have been working together on the plans since April, will now roll out the new rating scheme across the Instant platform. A a number of flex operators are already signed up.
The new rating, derived from the health strategies in the WELL Building Standard, includes more than 50 features spanning all 10 concepts in WELL, such as air and water quality, light and thermal comfort, and physical fitness and nourishment.
The WELL Coworking Rating serves to “validate and showcase” how co-working and flexible workspaces meet evidence-based health and wellbeing measures.
The launch follows the introduction of Instant’s Sustainability Index last year. The index is designed to validate sustainability data for flexible workspace providers, enabling both operators and occupiers to track buildings’ sustainability initiatives.
“After introducing Instant’s Sustainability Index last year, shifting our focus to health was a natural next step,” said Sam Pickering, executive director and head of sustainability at Instant. “Noticing the absence of a wellbeing benchmark specific to the co-working and flexible office market, we sought to partner with IWBI, to create an offering that landlords, operators and occupiers could all embrace.”
He added: “By working with IWBI to develop the WELL Coworking Rating, Instant was able to leverage the science and evidence behind WELL and introduce the first rating tailored specifically to the co-working and flex office market.”
IWBI president and chief executive Rachel Hodgdon said: “Everyone deserves a healthy workplace that supports their physical and mental wellbeing, and we couldn’t be more excited to collaborate with The Instant Group to expand the reach of WELL’s science-backed strategies alongside our first cohort of dedicated market leaders.”
Flex operators Koba, Landmark, Clockwise and Iconic Offices have signed up to start using the rating.
Alexandra Livesey, chief operating officer at Clockwise, said: “Wellbeing is a core pillar of the Clockwise brand, the design of our workspaces and our member experience are centred around contributing positively to people’s mental and physical health.
“Establishing a formalised process and rating to recognise the elements that are within an operators’ control is really motivating, a step in the right direction for our industry and a positive contribution to the ESG agenda as a whole.”
Rob Stewart, director of strategy and sustainability at Koba, added: “Helping push industry standards forward is central to our mission, so working with Instant and IWBI on developing the rating was a really valuable experience. It’s also an important tool for co-working occupiers looking to attract the type of ‘grown-up’ companies the industry is well placed to serve.”
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