IWBI Is Awarded an InsideOut Mental Health Award
IWBI wins in the Third Party Influence category for influencing mental health beyond its own walls
LONDON and NEW YORK, March 26, 2021 /3BL Media/ – The International WELL Building Institute was selected as a winner of the InsideOut Mental Health Awards, which celebrate mental health and those organizations and individuals who champion it. IWBI was awarded the Third Party Influence Award, which was presented to the employer who has best influenced mental health beyond its own walls, for example down the supply chain or into their client base. IWBI won as an SME (small and medium enterprise) in this category, while the Bank of England won as a large company.
IWBI was one of over 160 overall entries for the awards, and was selected by a diverse judging panel, formed of industry thought leaders and young people with lived experience and fresh perspectives. The awards aim to smash stigma and celebrate the creation of mentally healthy workplaces that allow all employees to prioritize their well-being.
“We are incredibly honored and delighted to be recognized as an InsideOut Mental Health Award recipient,” said IWBI President and CEO Rachel Hodgdon. “This award is a testament to the power of WELL to transform organizations across the globe by equipping them to support and encourage compassionate, forward-thinking workplace communities where every individual has the opportunity to thrive.”
IWBI was shortlisted as a finalist in January 2020. The awards, originally scheduled to take place in spring 2020, were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The rescheduled event provided a unique experience of celebration, networking, entertainment and dancing with the industry’s finest – all virtually. New “Lockdown Mental Health Awards” complemented the categories that were previously shortlisted for excellence.
IWBI delivers the cutting-edge WELL Building Standard (WELL), the world’s leading health-focused building standard. Developed over 10 years and backed by the latest scientific research, WELL sets pathways for accomplishing health-first factors that help everyone by supporting physical and mental health across 10 core concepts: air, water, nourishment, light, movement, materials, sound, mind and community. Rigorous performance standards for design interventions, operational protocols and company-wide practices are verified by a third party.
The WELL Mind concept addresses the intersection between the office environment, a place where most people spend over one-third of their waking hours, and mental well-being. When well-designed and planned, a high-performing organizational environment has the potential to address ailments such as stress, depression and isolation, while maximizing human potential through positive settings that improve creativity, focus, recuperation and community support. Mind underscores the ways in which buildings can be tools to enhance mental health and happiness by offering evidence-grounded design and policy strategies that can help transform an organization’s environment and culture.
“The strategies embedded within WELL, and in the Mind concept in particular, have the potential to positively shape the short- and long-term mental health and well-being of individuals who spend their days in WELL spaces around the world,” said IWBI Mind concept lead Emily Winer Suresky. “We’re grateful for the contributions from members of our Mind Advisory, a group of experts and thought leaders who help support this important concept.”
The WELL ecosystem, which comprises the WELL Building Standard, the WELL Health-Safety Rating, WELL Portfolio and the WELL Community Standard, has been adopted globally by projects in all sectors. To date, 1.8 billion square feet of real estate are enrolled in WELL programs across 100 countries.
The InsideOut Mental Health Awards are pioneered by Rob Stephenson, Founder of InsideOut and Chris Cummings, CEO of the Wellbeing @ Work events globally.
About the International WELL Building Institute
The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) is a public benefit corporation and the world’s leading organization focused on deploying people first places to advance a global culture of health. IWBI mobilizes its community through the administration of the WELL Building Standard (WELL) and the WELL Health-Safety Rating, management of the WELL AP credential, the pursuit of applicable research, the development of educational resources, and advocacy for policies that promote health and wellbeing everywhere. More information on WELL can be found here.
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