When human beings want to plan something ahead of time, we do measurements. In ancient times, we used reeds as a measuring tool to build temples. For an architect like Le Corbusier, he invented Modulor as a measuring base when designing the space. How about health and well-being? Can it be measured, and how is it measured?
Organizations are now looking for a measurement of health and well-being to improve their organization's value. They turn the focus on understanding the relationship between health, well-being, and productivity. And below are the measurements that have been talked about in the building industry.
What are the 12 Competencies for Measuring Health and Well-being?
It is a comprehensive framework that provides an organization with a systematic approach to managing and measuring health and well-being among its employees. The framwork is structured around five scales of impact: individual, organizational, environmental, community, and global.
IWBI (International WELL Building Institute) made the 12 competencies a research-based tool for organizations to track the impact of their investment in health and well-being on multiple levels and help them shape their culture strategy and ESG reporting. (1)
Why does measuring health and well-being matter?
It matters because research shows promotion of health and well-being is correlated with a corporation's financial value. According to the research published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, when organizations invest in Health-focused interventions to build and improve people's performance, they receive a valuable positive impact in return: “stock values for a portfolio of companies that received high scores in a corporate health and wellness self-assessment appreciated by 235% compared with the S&P 500 Index appreciation of 159% over a 6-year simulation period.” (2)
It matters because Good Health and Wellbeing is one of the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which was adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015. These goals are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing within a global partnership.
It matters because it drives productivity and helps with person-to-job fit. According to a 2024 Cushman & Wakefield (C&W) Experience per Square Foot Survey, employees with a high level of well-being are 4 times more likely to say they can do their best work at their job compared to their peers with low well-being. Oftentimes, the cost of companies' turnover risk could be high and lead to potential financial loss. Thus, the better the "person-to-job fit" in the workplace, the less turnover risk a company might face.
So, what drives Well-being in a workplace?
According to C&W's 2024 survey, the five top workplace features have the greatest impact on employees' wellbeing, such as: Noise level, Company's culture, Private office design, Various active and social spaces, and Thermal comfort. Though productivity is highly tied to each individual's performance, Ms. Nancy Post, PhD, points out that studies have shown that the most effective way to invest in employees' health and well-being is to invest in the systemic level rather than wellness programs associated with each individual.
By the way,
What is ESG report? An ESG report is a document that outlines a company's performance and achievements on Environmental, Social, and Governance. The report provides insights into the organization's sustainability practice, social impacts, and ethical governance for all stakeholders. Due to the report's transparent nature, it helps the company to build trust and credibility with the public. It also helps the company's future growth by addressing the risk and compliance with laws and regulations.
What is a CSR report? CSR stands for Corporate Social Responsibility report. Similar to an ESG report, it is a document that the company uses to communicate its social and environmental efforts and impact with its stakeholders. The report covers the major aspects of a company's operations, including its environmental impact, social contributions, and economic performance.
How to measure health and well-being within a space, and what is the unit of such measurement? In the medical field, there are ways to assess patients' physical comfort, such as the VAS scale or Wong-Baker FACES scale. When we use 12 competencies to assess health and well-being in places, how do we know we deliver a suitable survey and identify the right metrics for individuals? It is easier for our mental capacity to answer questions such as 7 x 4=?, to which no answer comes immediately to mind, such as "how happy are you these days?"
Therefore, researchers often generate substitute questions and let the "Heuristic question" do the "measurement" for the "Target question." The previous complex question of "how happy are you these days?" might translate to "what is your mood right now?" Same for measuring "productivity within a space". When we ask ourselves how to increase productivity in a location, we might reframe the question and tie it to our work environment. Therefore, "how productive to work in the office" might be reframed to be "do you have energy to do what you want to do throughout the day inside this office?"
References:
This article is based on the panel discussion from Greenbuild 2022, and you can access the recording here.
Grossmeier J, et al., "Linking Workplace Health Promotion Best Practices and Organizational Financial Performance: Tracking Market Performance of Companies With Highest Scores on the HERO Scorecard", J Occup Environ Med. 2016 Jan.
You can find out more details of 12 competencies here: "12 Competencies for Measuring Health& Wellbeing for Human & Social Capital" by the International WELL Building Institute.
You can find C&W's 2024 survey here: "WellBeing: Why it matters and how to support it in the workplace.", Cushman&Wakefield, June 2025.
Here is the introduction page of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals from the United Nations
The heuristic is a technical term and a simple procedure that helps to find an adequate answer to difficult questions (target question) to assess the situation. Hueristic is the word that comes from the same root as "eureka".