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The WELL Building Standard® (WELL) is the world’s first standard centered solely on human health and safety. This standard is performance-based and measures, certifies,  and monitors all aspects of building environments that impact the human occupants’ health and well-being. This article explains just what WELL entails and why it is so important.

First, A Bit of History About the WELL Building

WELL was developed and launched by global design company Delos in 2013 and is now the benchmark used to attain health and well-being in all types of buildings around the world. This standard is managed and delivered by Delos subsidiary and public-benefit company, International WELL Building Institute (IWBI). The Delos website states:

With over 1.5 billion square feet and over 71 Fortune 500 companies, commercial real estate managers, developers, homebuilders, and hotel operators around the world, the WELL Building Standard® and other WELL programs are making a difference in more than 97 countries. 

In addition, the WELL standard is third-party certified by Green Business Certification Incorporated (GBCI), which also administers the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification and professional credentialing programs.

The WELL Building Standard®  Concentrates on People

Today’s population is becoming known as the “indoor generation.” According to a recent survey conducted by the Velux Group, people generally perceive that they spend 18 percent of their time inside (just over four hours) when in actuality, they spend 90 percent (more than 21 hours) inside. Peter Foldbjerg, an executive with Velux, states:  

We know instinctively that spending so many hours in stuffy places isn’t good for us. With the pressures of modern life, we are all now firmly a part of the Indoor Generation, and we need to understand the implications on our health and wellbeing of life indoors, as well as outdoors.

We are a 24/7 society, and this has disconnected us from the natural rhythms of nature—our circadian rhythm, a neurophysiological term for the 24-hour body clock that anticipates and adapts our physiology to the different phases of the day, sleep, and wake cycle. All of this impacts our sleep quality and general health. (1) 

Because of the large amount of time people spend indoors these days, standards that lead to built environments that improve occupants’ nutrition, fitness, mood, sleep, comfort, and performance are a no-brainer. According to the WELL Building Standard®  Executive Summary:

We believe that the time has come to elevate health and comfort to the forefront of building practices and reinvent buildings that are not only better for the planet but also people. 

• This is the first standard of its kind that focuses solely on the health and wellness of building occupants.

• WELL identifies 100 performance metrics, design strategies, and policies that can be implemented by the owners, designers, engineers, contractors, users, and operators of a building.

• WELL is based on a thorough review of the existing research on the effects of spaces on individuals and has been advanced through a thorough scientific and technical review.

• In order to achieve the requirements of the WELL Building Standard, the space must undergo a process that includes an on-site assessment and performance testing by a third party. (2)

The Seven Concepts of the WELL Building Standard®

WELL standards are based on the premise that there is tremendous value in encouraging building environments where people can thrive and offers a certification program based on a set of standards building owners must meet. WELL certification is contingent on a building’s performance around seven core concepts.

1) Air

The air concept deals with the overall air quality in a building. It has an established baseline air quality standard, and it examines and monitors a wide variety of factors, including:

• Ventilation
• Air filtration
• Mode and microbe prevention
• Humidity/moisture management

2) Water

The water concept examines access to and quality of a building’s water supply. It measures factors including:

• Water filtration techniques
• Water testing scheduling
• Removal of contaminants
• Water treatment
• Quality and availability of drinking water

3) Nourishment

This concept revolves around the availability of proper nutrition and its promotion. Items examined include:

• Availability of fresh, nutritious foods
• Promotion of healthy eating habits
• Contamination safeguards
• Safe food preparation practices
• Overall food environment

4) Light

This concept examines a building’s recognition of the importance of the human body’s circadian rhythm. Light aspects examined include:

• Window design and performance
• Natural light availability
• Light output
• Light color quality
• Night lighting
• Lighting controls

In addition, WELL light certification looks at things like energy consumption, the overall “mood,” and productivity enhancements available. 

5) Fitness

The question here is: Does the facility provide fitness opportunities that maximize physical movement? Areas of focus include:

• Fitness facilities in the building
• Availability of fitness programs
• Injury prevention

6) Comfort

A WELL certification includes a soothing building design that s as free of distractions as possible. Focus is placed on:

• Sound and noise management
• Easy accessibility 
• Thermal control
• Low-impact flooring

7) Mind

And finally, a WELL certification deals with cognitive and emotional health. Design principles examined include:

1. Health and wellness awareness
2. Workplace support
3. Stress treatment opportunities
4. Addiction treatment opportunities
5. General aesthetics
6. Relaxation spaces
7. Stat-of-the-art technology

The WELL Certification Process

Buildings become WELL certified by achieving a defined score on each of the core concepts described above. The certification process includes submitting required building documentation and an onsite audit, which can award a Silver, Gold, or Platinum rating. In addition, there are three types of certifications available:

1. New and existing buildings
2. New and existing interiors
3. Core and shell

This process also requires a recertification every three years.

WELL certification involves the following five steps:

1. Registration
2. Document submission
3. Performance verification
4. Certification
5. Recertification

Versa Technology is proud to be a supporter of this cutting-edge building methodology. Our PoE switches pair seamlessly with the sophisticated LED lighting solutions many state-of-the-art building developers use to furnish modern, people-oriented inside environments.

After two years, the Coronavirus is still with us. Before we dive into vaccine mandates, here are some facts:

• On December 31, 2019, the Chinese government alerted the World Health Organization (WHO) of a mysterious pneumonia-like disease eventually named COVID-19.
• As of January 6, 2022, there have been 297,848,954 reported cases of COVID-19, with 5,465,472 deaths worldwide.
• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first COVID-19 vaccine on August 23, 2021. Said vaccine was named the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine.  
• As of January 6, 2022, 9,306,715,938 vaccine doses have been administered.  

It is evident this pandemic will be with us for a while more. As a result, many employers are struggling with the difficult decision of whether (or how) to enforce vaccine requirements in their workplace. And vaccines are a hot topic; people are passionate no matter which side of the fence they are on.

We believe that policies around this topic are among the most significant decisions business owners have to make right now. Therefore, we hope that this article will help clarify the issues surrounding vaccine requirements in the workplace.

What are vaccine mandates?

Some city, state, and federal government agencies are turning toward COVID-19 vaccine mandates. This is also true of schools, universities, and various businesses.

But is it legal?

According to WebMD, a vaccine mandate is a “requirement that says you must be vaccinated to do certain things like working, traveling, or even attending a concert.” 

Vaccine mandates are common in the U.S. All 50 states require children to have had certain immunizations to start attending school, the most common of which are:

• Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis
• Polio
• Hepatitis B
• Measles, Mumps, and Rubella
• Varicella (Chickenpox)

In addition, depending on where you travel throughout the world, certain vaccines are required before you leave the U.S. These include:

• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Typhoid and paratyphoid fever
• Meningococcal disease
• Rabies
• Japanese Encephalitis

So, yes, vaccine mandates are legal and a well-established custom. But, here’s the thing: The government (or any other authority) cannot force an individual to get vaccinated. The mandate simply means that if a person does not get vaccinated, they can be legally be prohibited from entering a building or using a service.

Are there federal vaccine mandates for COVID-19?

Yes. President Biden recently signed several executive orders (or emergency regulations) that require specific organizations and businesses to mandate vaccines for their employees. It is important to note these mandates require employees to have the vaccination or submit to a weekly COVID test, should they decline. These federal orders specify a vaccine mandate for employees that work in:

• The federal government—including those employed by the armed services
• Federal contractors and subcontractors
• Health providers and any suppliers of Medicare and Medicaid programs
• Any business that has 100 or more employees

What happens if an employee refuses a vaccine?

Employers who encourage or require COVID-19 vaccinations must consider reasonable accommodations for employees who refuse to get vaccinated for medical or religious reasons—unless the accommodation brings undue hardship to the business. In addition, should the business’s employees be covered by a union contract, it may need to negotiate before a mandate is instituted. And, most notably any vaccination mandate should be job-related and consistent with a business necessity.

Religious Accommodations

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires employers to accommodate an employee’s genuinely held religious belief, practice, or observance—unless they would cause undue hardship to the company. It is important to keep in mind that the definition of “religion” is quite broad. 

Labor and employment attorney John Lomax, a partner in the law firm of Snell & Wilner in Phoenix, states:

If an employee refuses to obtain a vaccine, an employer needs to evaluate the risk that objection poses, particularly if an employer is mandating that employees receive a COVID-19 vaccine. 

Due to the huge flood of questions regarding religious accommodations for a vaccine mandate, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) developed a Religious Accommodation Request Form for employers to use should they choose to. The EEOC has stated:

Although the EEOC’s internal forms typically are not made public, it is included here given the extraordinary circumstances facing employers and employees due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Disability Accommodations for Vaccine Mandates

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) states that it is legal for a business to have a policy that expresses that an employee cannot pose a direct threat to the health and safety of other employees in the workplace. However, should a disabled employee opt-out of a vaccine mandate, the employer must be able to show that the unvaccinated worker would constitute such a threat to others.

The EEOC defines a “direct threat” as a “significant risk of substantial harm that can not be eliminated or reduced by reasonable accommodation.” 

How can you determine if a “direct threat” exists?

When determining if a direct threat situation exists, ask the following questions:

• Is the threat imminent?
• How likely will there be harm to others?
• What is the nature and severity of the risk?
• What will be the duration of the risk?

Then, ask the following questions:

• What is the employee’s job function?
• How important to the company’s operation is that this employee is vaccinated?
• Is there another job this employee can do to make a vaccine less critical?

The EEOC holds that it is the manager/supervisor’s responsibility to communicate a company’s vaccination policy to all employees. They should know how to recognize and react to a request for accommodation. To help employers follow the law, the EEOC has published the Enforcement Guidance on Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship Under the ADA.

Some Guidance From SHRM

According to Johnny C. Taylor, the president of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM-SCP): 

If an employee cannot get vaccinated because of a disability or sincerely held religious belief, and there is no reasonable accommodation possible, an employer could exclude the employee from physically entering the workplace. But this doesn’t mean an individual can be automatically terminated. Employers will need to determine if any other rights apply under the EEO laws or other federal, state, and authorities.

Vaccine Directives Are in Chaos

There has been a flurry of appeals to the federal vaccine mandates—all of which are in varying conditions in various Courts of Appeal—with a fight headed to the Supreme Court. In addition, some states are trying to ban vaccine mandates which complicate matters even more, leaving employers scratching their heads and wondering which laws to comply with. In addition, there is the potential situation of employees having general objections to a vaccine mandate that does not legally require an accommodation. In this instance, employers may be put in the untenable position of either sticking to a vaccine mandate policy and terminating non-compliant employees or deviating from the mandate for certain employees, which has a risk of discrimination claims.

Until the courts have settled this issue, companies need to communicate clearly and often with all employees regarding this topic. To do this, try adopting some of the following:

• Lead by example: If you want vaccinated people in your business, make sure all management personnel take the vaccine first.
• Develop and provide a simple, factual vaccination education program for employees.
• Make getting vaccinated as easy as possible: Provide paid time off to get vaccinated as well as any recovery time for potential side effects. Cover all costs associated with getting the vaccine. 
• Develop incentive programs to encourage employees to get vaccinated.

Versa Technology, Inc. has been in business since 1994. We deliver last-mile networking solutions that are versatile, user-friendly, and cost-effective to IT professionals worldwide.

We invite you to visit our website.

One of the more creative adaptations to the pandemic has been the concept of the hybrid workplace. Back in 2020, during the height of COVID-19, employers found themselves at a breaking point. They needed to be resourceful to maintain their business and productivity goals and still keep their workers safe. This set the scene for the hybrid workplace.

When COVID-19 waned and our economy began to recover, there was much optimism that workers would be able to return en masse to their place of work. But, then, the Delta variant hit—and after that, Omicron. And now it appears that work may never be the same again.

A September 2021 survey conducted by Dimensional Research backs up this claim. Here are some key findings:

• 62 percent of those surveyed were already engaged in the hybrid work model
• 57 percent stated that when offices are fully open, they would prefer to be in the office only one to ten days a month.

The survey’s conclusion states:

This research finds that the hybrid work model is happening now and is widespread. A majority of those surveyed already split time working from home and in the office. Employees want the benefits of working remotely and are so committed to the hybrid work model they will consider finding new employment to protect it.

What is a hybrid work model?

A hybrid office (also called “office + anywhere”) is a working model in which a company’s managers and employees work together in a physical office and remotely from home or both. There are a variety of ways to do this. For instance, some businesses may require employees to work from the office only one to three days a week, with the remaining days worked remotely from home. Or the company may decide what works best is some workers who work strictly from the office, while the rest work strictly from home. While still others may use a combination of the two. Whatever the arrangement, a hybrid work model generally permits employees to fit work into their lives, rather than dictating work into fixed hours in the office. For many employers and employees, this is an opportunity to balance productive work with less stress and less commuting time. 

What are the benefits of a hybrid work model?

As you make decisions regarding your return-to-office policies, consider these four hybrid work model advantages:

1) Increased Productivity

A hybrid work model offers flexibility and empowers employees to choose a working schedule that plays to their individual strengths. It allows teams to work out a satisfactory work balance between deep-focus tasks and collaborative ones.

Gartner states that an organization needs four different work modes to have a successful hybrid environment:

• Working together, together: when teams are co-located, contributing to meetings in a shared space.
• Working together, apart: when teams are distributed, but participating in virtual meetings
• Working alone, together: when teams are in shared spaces, but not working at the same time.
• Working alone, apart: when teams are distributed, and individuals are conducting deep-focus work.

2) Improved Employee Satisfaction and Company Culture

Here’s a guarantee: If workers are given the independence to determine how, when, and where they work, employee satisfaction will skyrocket. An important component here is trust. A company culture that embraces trust and assumes people can get their work done without a manager standing over them fosters loyalty, mutual appreciation, and respect. If you do not understand what an employee is working on, simply ask them something like, “Can you help me understand what you are doing and why?”

One of the best outcomes of a hybrid work model is that employees can choose to work outside of traditional work hours and in environments that are less stressful and more conducive to creative thinking.

3) Improved Collaboration and Relationships

To make a hybrid work model successful, employers must change their role to that of a facilitator. Company leaders must focus on how human relationships work. A company that values collaboration and openness will create a culture that has strong relationships and robust, honest communication.

4) Improved Mental Health

According to a global survey by Microsoft, one in five respondents feels their employer has little or no concern for their work-life balance. A proper hybrid work model shows sensitivity to this type of employee stress. When a worker is able to coordinate work and life flexibly, stress is reduced, which in turn helps to prevent burnout. When people can meet both work and life responsibilities, they are less stressed and have a larger sense of wellbeing. 

Why should I consider a hybrid work model for my business?

The writing is on the wall, hybrid workplaces are here to stay. Microsoft states:

With over 40 percent of the global workforce considering leaving their employer this year, a thoughtful approach to hybrid work will be critical for attracting and retaining diverse talent.

Microsoft has identified seven tenets that will shape the future of a hybrid work world:

• Flexible work is here to stay.

• Leaders are out of touch with employees and need a wake-up call.

• High productivity is masking an exhausted workforce.

1. 1. Gen Z is at risk and will need to be re-energized.
   2. Shrinking networks are endangering innovation.

• Authenticity will spur productivity and wellbeing. 

• Talent is everywhere in a hybrid world.

We will end this article with a quote from Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft:

Over the past year, no area has undergone more rapid transformation than the way we work. Employee expectations are changing, and we will need to define productivity much more broadly—inclusive of collaboration, learning, and wellbeing to drive career advancement for every worker, including frontline and knowledge workers, as well as for new graduates and those who are in the workforce today. All this needs to be done with flexibility in when, where, and how people work.

Versa Technology delivers last-mile networking solutions to a global community of IT professionals in North America, South America, China, Europe, Australia, South East Asia, Africa, and many more regions worldwide. Our equipment is ideal for developed and developing countries alike. It has been Versa Technology’s unwavering mission to sell market industry-leading products that are versatile, user-friendly, and cost-effective since our inception in 1994. We invite you to visit our product page.