Good Health and Well-Being

When Cynthia Small was hired to work at Whirlpool Corp. as a nurse practitioner, the idea of having a health professional on-site was a relatively new idea for the appliance maker.

Human resource professionals see firsthand the benefits of promoting health and wellness in the workplace. As people, we spend about 90 percent of our time indoors, and a lot of that time is spent at work. HR departments are always experimenting with new approaches to enhance employee health and wellness, and now, leading research is demonstrating how better buildings can help make people more productive, reduce absenteeism and create more enjoyable, healthful work environments.

Dr. Eoin King is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Acoustics at the University of Hartford. King is well known through the industry for having developed novel environmental noise assessment techniques, with a particular focus on strategic noise mapping. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Institute of Noise Control Engineering of the USA (INCE-USA) and is Managing Editor for the publication Noise/News International. Eoin spoke with us about the dangers of environmental noise pollution and why it’s essential that our communities shift their focus from noise control to proactive sound design.

At IWBI, we believe that all projects and building space types should be able (and encouraged) to apply the WELL Building Standard™. Access to spaces that optimize our health and mental well-being is a fundamental human right. To further this goal, in February 2017, IWBI introduced a pathway for new project types to pursue WELL Certification. This pathway allows for all building type sectors to collaborate with IWBI to adapt the WELL v1 and pilot programs through the creation of a custom scorecard. Our mantra is: all projects in.

Have you ever wondered how the diverse soundscape you experience in your day to day can impact your health and productivity? This month, we released our Acoustics WELLography, which provides you with a comprehensive overview of sound and the built environment, how we experience and are impacted by sound, and strategies that can be applied to mitigate the negative risks associated with noise and other distracting sounds.

Workplace wellness can be a heavy lift for companies everywhere. In addition to the initial investment, companies must ensure employee participation and effectiveness to attain the desired outcomes. Yet 70% of healthcare costs in America are affected by the environments in which people live and work. So dropping these programs entirely isn’t a financially or socially viable option, either.

A growing number of studies show that office space design can significantly impact employee health, cognitive function and overall satisfaction. What does this mean for the investor?

For those of us working in the 21st century, we’ve experienced technologies, innovation and efficiencies in our personal lives and across the global marketplace that were unthinkable just a few decades ago. On World Mental Health Day, we’re focused on the solutions and so are many global employers.

Whole Foods and Englewood Square marked its first anniversary in Englewood Monday with a big celebration featuring the mayor, aldermen and local entrepreneurs.

“It’s a good day for me,” said Ald. Toni Foulkes (16th). “I’ve been walking these streets since I was seven.”

“I know that JoAnn is watching,” Foulkes said about the late Ald. JoAnn Thompson (16th), who had the vision for Englewood Square.