The IWBI Special Report Chapter Series: “Technology Companies are Building an Internet of Well-Being to Match the Moment”

In 2021, IWBI released an in-depth report that lays out research approaches and specific operational strategies as the world continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and prepares for acute health threats into the future. Prevention and Preparedness, Resilience and Recovery: An IWBI Special Report integrates proven strategies from the WELL Building Standard (WELL) and actionable insights garnered from IWBI staff and nearly 600 members of the Task Force on COVID-19 and Other Respiratory Infections.

We’ve been reposting chapters from the report to help highlight specific themes and insights. The IWBI Special Report Chapter Series continues with “Technology Companies are Building an Internet of Well-Being to Match the Moment,” authored by Karen Quintana, WELL Faculty, Vice President, Digital Product Lead.

Excerpt republished from: Prevention and Preparedness, Resilience and Recovery: An IWBI Special Report

Say you walk into an office. You see adjustable height desks, ergonomic chairs and a monitor displaying air quality and acoustic performance. You walk past fun social spaces encouraging people to connect with each other. In the break room there are nap pods to encourage proper rest; the cafeteria is serving free, healthy food to keep employees well-nourished; a meditation room beckons.

Nothing in that description tells you what this company actually does. But chances are, anyone reading this would guess that this is the office of a technology company. The tech world has become famous over the years for designing environments filled with the types of perks that will attract the workforce they depend on. But companies of all types are beginning to realize that because employees who are fundamentally well do better work, the health of a company is directly related to the health and happiness of the people who comprise it…

Excerpt: Making the Invisible Visible
The pandemic has opened many people’s eyes to the fact that some of the most important ways an environment contributes to public health cannot be noticed on a tour through the office. You often can’t see, for example, the quality of the air and water. But clean air and water both reduce the spread of disease and lead to general improvements in health and human performance.

Typically, the invisible ways that our environments contribute to our health are subject to only periodic testing. Going forward, there will be an enormous market opportunity for products that can instead allow people within a building to stay in constant conversation with it, understanding how their indoor environment is changing in real time. In the aftermath of the pandemic, the “Internet of Things” that has been such a hot topic for so long could expand to include an “Internet of Well-being,” too…

Excerpt: Going Beyond Gadgetry
But a true commitment to well-being isn’t going to be achieved exclusively through more tech. It will require companies to focus on creating policies and cultures that promote well-being. And here, too, the technology sector has a chance to lead. As Christopher Patterson, Uber’s Global Sustainability Program Manager, put it: “Health and well-being expand beyond the walls around us, and today’s climate shows that we must operate ethically and efficiently in order to achieve safe, sustainable growth… this starts with the design and construction of our workplaces, and continues through our programs and operations.”

Technology companies’ innovative approaches to wellness have made them global leaders in workplace standards. And that puts them in a strong position to lead by example and implement organizational changes that can create healthier, more resilient workforces…

Excerpt: Advancing Public Health
Finally, the pandemic has demonstrated that even if all the people in an organization have what they need to stay well, their health will still be threatened if others do not: our health is intertwined with our communities, and tech companies have an important opportunity to step up and help advance public health, particularly in areas where the government has yet to show leadership.

It’s no secret that in recent years, many have cast doubts on whether technology companies really are bettering our world. But technology has underpinned much of our response to the pandemic, with companies developing and enhancing everything from software to support contact tracing to geo-based interactive maps on COVID-19 incidence to working with governments to plot safer public bike routes and support for cyclists, so that more people have a safer, healthier way to get around—even during a health crisis. There’s no doubt this moment provides a chance for tech companies to live up to their claims about technology improving human lives…

Conclusion
The technology sector is at its best when it is solving difficult problems. And when companies do step up, people are taking notice. Reflecting on how quickly the pandemic has changed the conversation from what tech companies are doing wrong to what they’re doing right, one tech reporter asked: “Who knew the ‘techlash’ was susceptible to a virus?”

If tech companies can help carry us through one of the most challenging times of our collective lives—and helping us emerge even healthier and stronger on the other side—then soon, all those ambitions they share about making the world a better place may stop eliciting skepticism and start once again inspiring hope.

Read the full section here.