We have reached a critical time for companies to invest in the health and well-being of their people, their community, and the world. Leading organizations have a multitude of strategies available to them to effectively accomplish these goals. Now it is time to measure, manage, and track. The 12 Competencies provides a roadmap for companies to demonstrate their investment in health.
What are the 12 Competencies?
The 12 Competencies for Measuring Health & Well-being for Human & Social Capital (12 Competencies) is an evidence-based framework that provides organizations a way to manage and measure their strategies on health and well-being related to organizational culture, building design and operations, business strategy and ESG reporting. The 12 Competencies are organized across five scales of impact: individual, organizational, environmental, community and global, so that organizations can measure and track the interrelated impacts of their investments in health and wellbeing across multiple scales over time.
Why are the 12 Competencies important?
The 12 Competencies can help companies measure, track and report on health and well-being in a benchmarkable, consistent and transparent way. They are also intended to drive those that measure and score organizations on ESG performance to more effectively incorporate measures related to health and well-being. And they can be used to help assess and mitigate organizational risk and identify opportunities for progress.
Who can use the 12 Competencies?
The 12 Competencies framework is a resource that may help any organization ready to commit to integrating ‘H’ – health and well-being – into their organizational culture, strategy and reporting.
How do the 12 Competencies relate to the WELL Building Standard (WELL)?
WELL is a standard under which companies must achieve a certain number of features to earn a WELL designation, such as certification or a rating. The 12 Competencies is a voluntary framework that all companies can use to track and measure their investment in health and well-being on multiple scales, regardless of whether they are pursuing a WELL offering. However, the WELL Building Standard can be utilized to make progress towards many of the 12 Competencies’ outcomes.
How do the 12 Competencies contribute to a comprehensive ESG strategy?
Health, well-being and social considerations are increasingly important components of a holistic ESG strategy. Corporate reporting on health and well-being has historically been rudimentary and focused on disclosing intentions or policies, i.e. workplace wellness programs, social responsibility commitments, and COVID-19 protocols, as opposed to indicating progress or performance. This information is relevant, but it is insufficient. The 12 Competencies aims to guide companies on a more comprehensive group of metrics over a variety of levels surrounding health and well-being, and provides the flexibility to measure the criteria that are within an organization’s realm of control.