Earlier this month, our company, Alpin Limited, was awarded WELL Certification at the Silver Level for New and Existing Interiors by the International WELL Building Institute™ (IWBI™) as the first organization in the Middle East.

Why are we so happy about this? Because it shows our commitment to employee wellbeing and health. But not only that. Thanks to this certification, we’ll be able to help our clients create more productive and profitable workspaces.

How exactly? Let’s find out.

What is the WELL Building Standard™?

In short, the WELL Building Standard™ is the most important building standard to focus on enhancing people’s health and wellness through the buildings where we live, work, and play.

This performance-based certification was created by physicians, scientists, and industry professionals to use best practices in design, construction, and evidence-based scientific research.

When an organization achieves this standard, it shows a deep commitment to people’s wellbeing. And that’s what made it so attractive to us.

Why we wanted to get WELL Certified™

So why did we want to get WELL Certified™?

Our focus is on projects that are environmentally efficient. But our commitment doesn’t stop there. We believe that employee health and wellbeing should be a top priority because people are any company’s biggest asset.

For example:

Our Alpin Healthy HR campaign, which is a wide-ranging initiative centered on a commitment to enhancing our employees’ wellbeing, goes hand in hand with this commitment. In fact, before we got WELL Certified™, our internal gap analysis showed that we were already about 80% there.

WELL is the most prestigious recognition in this space and it aligns perfectly with our values.

Is WELL an expense or an investment?

It makes sense. Focusing on employee health and wellbeing results in a more productive workforce. Your company becomes a more attractive employer, employees stick around for longer, and you save on costs like employee absenteeism.

But still, WELL does come with its own costs and expenses. After all, changes need to be made in several different areas- air, water, light, nourishment, fitness, comfort, and mind. For example, to become WELL Certified™, we made several investments. These include an on-campus gym, noise level improvements, and a new air filtration system.

Is it all worth it from a cost perspective?

Here are just a few examples of the benefits of WELL:

• An engineering consulting firm, Cundall, spent $80,000 to create a workspace that lived up to WELL Gold level standards. At the same time, absenteeism dropped by 50% and staff turnover dropped by 27%. This meant a return on investment in just the first year.
• According to CBRE Madrid, 80% of employees believed that their offices made them more productive.

See how WELL is an investment that will pay itself back and more… Not an expense?

How are we using WELL to improve?

As a company, we’re committed to constantly improving and innovating. That’s how we can help our clients create spaces that work seamlessly with their goals.

In fact, beyond being WELL Certified™ we’re committed to staying at the forefront of our industry. For example, as the first company in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, we were awarded the LEED Gold Certification for Commercial Interiors, which is one of the world’s most recognized green building codes.

But that’s not all.

For us, WELL is not just a certification. It’s a way of life.

We’re constantly aiming to get better and improving our commitment to employee health and wellbeing. WELL is embedded in our office development practices, HR policies, and approach to teaming.

It will help us create a better workplace. But even more so, we can easily integrate WELL into our client projects.

Want to use WELL in your organization?

Right now, we’re working with select developers and Fortune 500 firms to deliver the next series of WELL Certified™ projects.

Want to use the same standards to achieve better employee productivity, happier employees, lower employee-related costs, and to increase the value of your building assets?

Learn more about how WELL can help you get there.