How to Complete the WELL Health-Safety Rating Process

Achieving the WELL Health-Safety Rating is a simple process — and with your WELL Health-Safety Workspace, all the tools you need to be successful are at your fingertips.

First, assemble your team.

You and your team members can complete a variety of work on this platform to streamline your WELL Health-Safety Rating project management, including uploading documentation and submitting for documentation review. Below are some key players we suggest including on your WELL Health-Safety Rating project team:

• Project owner:
  • Owners are responsible for authorizing enrollment of the project and will be required to validate various documents used to demonstrate that WELL Health-Safety Rating strategies are satisfied.
• Executive team member:
  • A member of the executive team who may be leading the charge around pursuing the WELL Health-Safety Rating at an organization and can serve to bolster the commitment to prioritizing the health and safety of their staff, visitors and other stakeholders.
• Facilities manager / Operations team:
  • Given that the WELL Health-Safety Rating has a particular focus on operational policies and maintenance protocols, the facilities management and operations team will be integral to the process. They can analyze the building’s existing operations and incorporate any WELL requirements into the protocol and training, where necessary, such as revising a cleaning plan and selecting appropriate cleaning products. These team members should be oriented to the WELL requirements so that they may uphold WELL-compliant criteria.
• HR professionals:
  • HR professionals can provide invaluable insight into an organization’s current health policies and mission. They are uniquely qualified to ensure that organizational policies and offerings, another key component of the WELL Health-Safety Rating, are in accordance with the WELL criteria, including items like providing sick leave and health benefits among others.
• WELL AP:
  • The WELL AP credential recognizes building industry professionals who are knowledgeable of the conceptual and applied frameworks of WELL. Project teams are not required to include a WELL AP but having a one as part of your project team will help to address all necessary aspects of WELL and qualify projects for achievement of a pre-approved innovation feature in WELL.

To add team members to your workspace:

1. Log in or create your WELL account > select the Health-Safety Rating project to update.
2. Click Team in the left menu bar.
3. Enter your new teammate’s information: email, role, and permission level.
4. Click Invite to send your new team member an email inviting them to the project.

Next, complete your checklist

The WELL Health-Safety Rating Checklist is your project management hub—from the Checklist, you can learn more about the WELL Health-Safety Rating features and identify which you wish to incorporate into your space. To earn your rating, each location must achieve at least 15 of the WELL features. First, select which you’d like to pursue:

1. Log in or create your WELL account > select the Health-Safety Rating project to update.
2. Click Checklist in the left menu bar to view the requirements.
   
3. Review available features and select the ones you plan to implement; mark “YES” for those you intend to achieve, mark “MAYBE” for those you intend to research further or mark “NO” for those you do not intend to achieve.

Note: Unsure how to select your 15 features strategically? Here are some guiding questions to help you get started:

• What is the existing policy for your space?
• What features would require only minor modifications to achieve?
• What would be very visible or meaningful improvements to your building’s occupants?
• What vendors or contracts are in place already?
• How is the space used—are there elevated risks associated with certain parts of the space?

4. Use the statuses in the Checklist to organize your actions and upload documents.
   • For features marked “YES,” click the feature name to expand > click the + button in the Documents section to upload the required verification documents.
   • For features marked “MAYBE,” use the + button in the Comments section to communicate with team members, leave reminders and share action items. Follow up with relevant stakeholders to determine if these features should become achievement targets. When your project is ready for review, there should be no items remaining with “MAYBE” status, only “YES” or “NO.”

Note: Comments marked as private are only visible to the person making the comment. Comments for the WELL Reviewer from GBCI should be kept minimal as the Comments section isn’t considered an accepted place to submit compliance information.

4. To upload General Documents, click Documents in the left-side menu. General Documents that enable GBCI to review each location. Ensure to include the relevant audit information if sharing certain documents across multiple locations. Required General Documents include the following:
   • WELL Health-Safety Rating Agreement.
   • A project checklist listing the attempted strategies.
   • Representative floor plans or project maps.
   • Narrative describing the project in general.
   • Proof of construction completion. This may be through a certificate of occupancy or other documentation that similarly confirms that construction is complete.

How to submit for review

Once you’ve completed your WELL Health-Safety Rating Checklist and submitted supporting documentation, you’re ready to submit your project for review!

Submitting documentation right the first time is key. Our team has created a collection of resources to help make the submission process as seamless as possible. Before you submit for review, be sure to check out our sample documentation and video tutorial series in the Support tab of your WELL online Health-Safety account.

1. Double-check your project to ensure you have provided documentation for a minimum of 15 features, uploaded any relevant audit documents and have uploaded all necessary general documents outlined by GBCI.
2. Click Review from the left menu bar > Submit Review
3. Select the appropriate review phase: If you are submitting for your first round of review, select Preliminary. If you are submitting for the second round of review, select Final.
4. Provide any necessary comments to GBCI regarding the submission.
5. Click Submit

Note: Reviews are typically returned 8-10 business days from the date of submission. Please allow 8-10 business days for both primary and final reviews. For multiple location WELL Health-Safety submissions, depending on the complexity and quality of the review submission, review timelines may be longer than the standard of 8-10 business days, with a maximum of up to 25 business days.