The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) today announced that the Outer Ring Road location of 2gethr, a Bangalore-based co-working leader, is the first co-working space globally to achieve the WELL Health-Safety Rating for Facility Operations and Management. It is seamlessly using the rating as a stepping stone to pursue achievement of WELL Certification and is currently WELL Precertified.
WELL Health-Safety Rating seal
The WELL Health-Safety Rating measures five categories: cleaning and sanitization procedures; emergency preparedness programs; health service resources; air and water quality management; and stakeholder engagement and communications. Among the measures the company has taken to support health and safety include contactless temperature monitoring and door fixtures, regular fumigation, color-coded seating, community support both offline and online, touchless hand sanitizers and policies to normalize social distancing.
“The WELL Health-Safety Rating has far-reaching applicability for supporting the health and safety needs of people and is flexible enough to accommodate the specific goals of all space types, and co-working spaces are no exception,” said Rick Fedrizzi, IWBI Chairman and CEO. “We congratulate 2gethr for its leadership and commitment to evidence-based interventions that support health during these current pandemic times and into the future. 2gethr’s participation will help restore confidence and trust among its employees, staff, and members.”
Launched in June, the WELL Health-Safety Rating is an evidence-based, third-party verified rating for all new and existing building and space types and is focused on operational policies, maintenance protocols, emergency plans and stakeholder engagement strategies to help organizations get back to business during these pandemic times. 2gethr’s coworking space joins over 7,000 spaces encompassing over 380 million square feet that have responded to enroll in the documentation-based program and that continue to work towards implementing its scientific guidance.
Many sectors and industries have been forced to adapt as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, including co-working spaces. As office workers largely shifted to work remotely from home, co-working spaces have remained open for the essential workforce. Now, as some offices have moved to reopen, co-working spaces face renewed health and safety concerns over their role as the hub of multiple companies – thereby increasing the need for an independent third-party review process as they respond to COVID-19 and seek to instill confidence in those who frequent their building and the broader community.
“The objective of 2gethr has always been to create a space that adopts a humane and experiential perspective towards the working environment,” said Magam Siva Krishna, Chief Creative Officer, 2gethr. “As a co-working space, 2gethr understands the added responsibility when it comes to creating a healthy and safe space, both for our employees and our members. That’s why we decided it was absolutely necessary to achieve the WELL Health-Safety Rating on our journey towards WELL Certification – we’re now in a great place to give confidence to all our members that they can safely come back to work.”
Magam noted that 2gethr’s design partner, Zyeta, had been instrumental in the achievement of the rating. “At Zyeta, we feel strongly that interior design is a critical part of how companies demonstrate their commitment to their values,” said Tanvi Kesarwani, WELL AP and Architect, Zyeta. “Working with 2gethr on its WELL journey has been a way to demonstrate the importance of this tenet and has given us a great showcase for how health and wellness should always be outcomes of great design.”
Created by IWBI, the WELL Health-Safety Rating is informed by guidance developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), global disease control and prevention centers and emergency management agencies, recognized standard-making bodies, such as ASTM International and ASHRAE, and leading academic and research institutions. IWBI has leveraged insights from its Task Force on COVID-19, established at the outset of the pandemic to help business and building leaders integrate actionable insights and proven strategies in the fight against COVID-19 and other respiratory infections.
To learn more about the WELL Health-Safety Rating, visit https://www.wellcertified.com/health-safety.
