Appendix: Mind

 

M01.1 – Commit to mental health promotion
The project or organization is committed to supporting the mental health and well-being of all regular building occupants through the following:

1. At least three current or future mental health promotion programs or initiatives (e.g., education or awareness efforts, offering mental health screenings, stress management programs, trainings offered by a qualified in-house or contracted professional).
2. Promotion of the efforts above to occupants (e.g., organization-wide email reminders, posters).
3. Tailoring the efforts above to the culture and needs of the target population (e.g., why a focus on stress management, sleep or nature incorporation) as established by at least one of the following sources:
   1. Local or national mental health data, research or trends.
   2. Occupant survey responses.
   3. Occupant interviews or focus groups.

 

M01.2 – Promote Mental Health Literacy
All employees are offered education and resources that address mental health literacy, including the following:

1. Information about mental health and common mental health conditions, including, at minimum: causes, signs and symptoms of stress, depression, anxiety and substance abuse and addiction.
2. Strategies for supporting personal mental health and well-being, covering, at minimum: regular self-care practices, positive coping skills, and behaviors that influence mental health and well-being (e.g., sleep, nutrition, physical activity).
3. Local mental health organizations, self-help groups and help and crisis lines (call, text and chat).

 

M02.1 – Provide Access to Nature
Projects integrate and encourage occupant access to nature within the building and project site (external to the building) through the following:

1. Direct connection to nature through at least two of the below:
   1. Plants.
   2. Water.
   3. Light.
   4. Nature views.
2. Indirect connection to nature through use of natural materials, patterns, colors or images.
3. Space layout, addressing placement of natural elements along common circulation routes, shared seating areas and rooms (e.g., conference rooms, common spaces) and workstations (as applicable) to enhance occupant exposure.

 

M03.1 – Provide Mental Health Screening
At least one of the following mental health screening options is provided to all eligible employees at no cost:

1. Online or paper self-assessment or screening tool for common mental health conditions addressing, at minimum, stress, depression, anxiety and substance use. Assessment or tool used must be evaluated and approved by a mental health professional, include guidance on interpretation of results and outline next steps for occupants who screen positive or at-risk.
2. Clinical screening for common mental health conditions, addressing, at minimum, depression, anxiety, stress and substance use), followed by directed feedback and clinical referral when appropriate. Screening may be provided either directly through projects or indirectly through health insurance offerings.

 

M03.2 – Provide Mental Health Coverage
The following requirements are met:

1. Mental health services are available to all eligible employees at no cost or subsidized by at least 50%, including coverage for the services below, at minimum:
   1. Referrals to qualified mental health professional and support resources.
   2. Inpatient coverage (e.g., hospitalization).
   3. Outpatient treatment (e.g., therapy, medical management).
   4. Prescription medication coverage the allows for proper use of prescribed medications.
2. Clear information on benefits coverage and how to access care services or community resources is easily and confidentially available (e.g., via a health portal or employee website).
3. Confidential benefits consultation is available for all occupants with a benefits counselor, human resources representative or other benefits support staff.
4. Commitment to mental health parity.

 

M03.3 — Provide Workplace Support
The following are in place for eligible employees:

1. Use of sick or paid time and adjustment of work schedule for treatment, appointments or other mental health needs.
2. Individualized adjustment of the physical environment to support mental health needs (e.g., moving a workstation to a busier or a quieter area, providing a quiet space for breaks, providing earplugs or headphones, increasing personal space, providing the ability to work from home).
3. Use of short- or long-term leave or disability for mental health needs, with option of:
   1. Phased return to work after returning from leave.
   2. Increased interpersonal support (e.g., manager support with prioritizing and managing workloads, increased frequency of one-on-one check-ins).

 

M04.1 — Offer Mental Health Education
All employees are offered trainings available quarterly, at minimum, addressing at least two of the following:

1. Managing personal mental health and well-being, covering topics such as developing mentally healthy habits, fostering relationships, self-care and managing mental health at work.
2. Education on common mental health conditions or concerns, covering, at minimum, depression, anxiety, stress and substance use.
3. Signs and symptoms of mental health distress, including how to identify emotional distress and appropriately respond (e.g., Mental Health First Aid).

 

M04.2 — Offer Mental Health Education for Managers
All managers undergo formal mental health training annually. Trainings must be offered quarterly, at minimum, and address at least three of the following:

1. Identifying and reducing workplace stress–related issues (e.g., training on conducting performance reviews, effective communication skills, personnel management, assertiveness, time management, conflict resolution).
2. Recognizing common mental health conditions or concerns, covering, at minimum, stress and burnout, depression, anxiety and substance use.
3. Supporting employees through strategies to prevent burnout, low motivation, fatigue, poor work-life balance and other work-related stress issues.
4. Recognizing employee mental health concerns or crises, including increasing awareness of workplace and community resources available to employees.

 

M05.1 — Develop Stress Management Plan
Projects complete the following:

1. Evaluate at least four of the organization- or project-wide metrics below:
   1. Frequency of absenteeism.
   2. Use of paid time off, sick days and personal days.
   3. Frequency of leave due to disability or illness.
   4. Frequency of performance issues.
   5. Employee retention and turnover rates.
   6. Employee survey responses.
2. Provide a stress management plan based on the evaluation of organization- or project-wide metrics, outlining opportunities to address employee stress through organizational policies and operations, covering the topics below:
   1. Opportunities for organizational change to address employee stress (e.g., work processes and environment, business travel policies, management of work demands, work-life balance).
   2. Opportunities for employee participation in organizational decisions regarding workplace issues that may affect job stress (e.g., work processes, environment, schedules).
   3. Plan for implementation, describing support from key management or leadership, who is leading the initiative, what is to be completed, where in the organization it will be occur, who will be impacted, and when and how it will be implemented.

 

M05.2 — Support Stress Management Programs
Projects support employee stress management through the following:

1. Stress management training or education, covering issues such as stress management at work and work-life balance. Training or education must be tailored to employee need, reviewed by a qualified professional and offered quarterly, at minimum.
2. At least three additional health and wellness offerings associated with stress reduction or management (e.g., fitness opportunities, childcare support, mindfulness training). Offerings may include other features pursued by projects and in concepts outside of the WELL Mind concept.

 

M06.1 — Provide Micro- and Macro-Breaks
The project encourages micro-breaks and macro-breaks among all eligible employees through:

1. Policy on overtime or working beyond the typical workdays and workday length/assigned daily hours.
2. Opportunities for micro-breaks during the workday, which include:
   1. Designated time to break for a meal built into the workday.
   2. Encouragement of breaks away from the workstation throughout the workday.
   3. Description of areas available to take micro-breaks within the project boundary or within 1,000 ft walk distance from the project boundary.
3. Paid time off policy for all eligible employees, with a minimum of 20 days per calendar year (not including designated sick days or standard paid holidays), which considers the following:
   1. How workplace culture encourages employee use of paid time off, including modeling from managers and leadership.
   2. How occupants are discouraged from engaging in work-related email, phone calls or other work during paid-time off (including weekends).
   3. Clearly defined policies on sick, vacation, floating holiday, personal and rollover days (addressing accrual policy, cap on rollover days allowed and date by when rollover days must be used).

 

M07.1 — Provide Restorative Indoor Spaces
Designated indoor space is available to all regular building occupants to support restorative practices. This may be a single space or several spaces that meets the following requirements:

1. Designated exclusively for contemplation, relaxation and restoration (not to be used for work).
2. Is a minimum of 75 ft² plus 1 ft² per regular building occupant, up to a maximum of 800 ft². Room may be broken up into multiple smaller rooms that total the required amount.
3. Encourages contemplation, relaxation and restoration, in consideration of the design criteria below:
   1. Accessible design.
   2. Lighting (e.g., dimmable light levels).
   3. Intrusive noise and sound masking (e.g., water feature, natural sounds).
   4. Thermal comfort.
   5. Seating arrangements that accommodate a range of user preferences and activities (e.g., movable lightweight chairs, cushions, mats).
   6. Nature incorporation.
   7. Calming colors, textures and forms.
   8. Visual privacy.
4. Is maintained on a weekly basis, at minimum.
5. Education materials or resources are available to occupants explaining the purpose of the space and how to make use of it.

 

M07.2 — Provide Restorative Outdoor Spaces
Designated outdoor space within projects is available to all regular building occupants. This may be a single space or several spaces that meets the following requirements:

1. Is designated exclusively for contemplation, relaxation and restoration (not to be used for work).
2. Is a minimum of 75 ft² plus 1 ft² per regular building occupant, up to a maximum of 800 ft². Space may be broken up into multiple smaller spaces that total the required amount.
3. Encourages contemplation, relaxation and restoration, in consideration of the design criteria below:
   1. Accessible design.
   2. Intrusive noise and sound masking (e.g., water feature, wind chimes).
   3. Thermal comfort (e.g., availability of both sun-exposed and shaded areas).
   4. Seating arrangements that accommodate a range of user preferences and activities (e.g., movable lightweight chairs, outdoor or weatherproof cushions, mats).
   5. Nature incorporation.
   6. Visual privacy.
   7. Calming colors, textures and forms.
   8. Is maintained on a weekly basis, at minimum.
4. Is maintained on a weekly basis, at minimum.
5. Education materials or resources are available to occupants explaining the purpose of the space(s) and how to make use of it.

 

M08.1 — Provide Restorative Programming
At least two of the following programs focused on relaxation and restoration, such as mindfulness meditation or mindful movement (e.g., yoga, tai chi), are offered to all eligible employees at no cost or subsidized by at least 50%:

1. Training courses (e.g., eight-week mindfulness-based stress reduction course) offered in-person, on-site, in a quiet and calm space and scheduled during a convenient time based on the average employee schedule (e.g., after work, during lunch). The training course must be offered at least twice a year.
2. On-going programming (e.g., guided mediation, yoga) offered in-person, on-site, in a quiet and calm space and scheduled during a convenient time based on average employee schedule (e.g., after work, during lunch). Programming must be offered at least once a week.
3. On-going digital offerings (e.g., guided meditation application). Employees must have unlimited access to at least one digital offering as well as ongoing access to a quiet, calm space within the project to practice.

 

M09.1 — Provide Enhanced Access to Nature
Projects complete at least two of the following:

1. Outdoor nature access facilitated by the conditions below:
   1. At least 25% of the exterior building site area consists of either landscaped grounds, rooftop gardens or other natural elements open to regular building occupants.
   2. Consists of at least 70% plants or natural elements, including tree canopies (within the 25% specified above).
   3. A narrative that describes how the design of the exterior building site area encourages occupant access to nature.
2. Indoor nature access facilitated by the conditions below:
   1. Any combination of indoor plants (e.g., potted plants, plant beds, plant walls) and/or water feature(s) are within a direct line of sight of at least 75% of workstations and seats within conference rooms, lecture halls or classrooms.
   2. All water features (if included), use ultraviolet sanitation or other technology to address water safety.
   3. A narrative that describes how the design of the interior building site area and placement of indoor nature encourage occupant access to nature.
3. Nature views facilitated by the conditions below:
   1. Views are available within a direct line of sight of at least 75% of workstations and seats within conference rooms, lecture halls or classrooms. Views must comprise natural areas or landscapes, such as green spaces (e.g., park, forest) or blue spaces (e.g., ocean, lake, river).
   2. A narrative that describes how the design of the interior building site area encourages occupant access to nature.
4. Nearby nature access facilitated by the conditions below:
   1. At least one green space or blue space is within 1,000 ft walk distance from the project and available to all regular building occupants during open hours of the space(s). Green spaces must be a minimum of 1.25 acre.
   2. A narrative that describes how occupants are encouraged to access nearby nature (e.g., presence of signage or maps; availability of breaks during the workday).

 

M10.1 — Assess Work Environment
The following requirements are met:

1. The organization’s work processes and space utilization support focus and productivity among employees, and projects assess the work environment through at least one of the sources below:
   1. Occupant survey responses.
   2. Occupant interviews and/or focus groups.
   3. Observational research.
2. To support opportunities for focus at least two of the below are in place for all eligible employees:
   1. Process for requesting alternate workspace arrangements if assigned workstation does not meet occupant stimuli needs (e.g., too busy, loud or quiet). If physical or organizational constraints do not permit moving station, occupants are offered flexible working arrangements or work from home options.
   2. Designated quiet hours, zones or rooms during the workday.
   3. Stipend for or provision of noise-cancelling or noise-reducing headphones and/or earplugs.
   4. Day(s) of the week on which formal meetings are discouraged.
   5. Visual communication system to indicate do-not-disturb time (e.g., flag system).

 

M10.2 — Integrate Space Management
Seating and spatial layouts:
Projects incorporate the following into the organization of seating and spatial layout to provide differing degrees of sensory engagement:

1. Work zones that support a variety of work functions (e.g., quiet work, collaborative work).
2. Designated quiet zones provided as enclosable (e.g., small conference rooms, single-occupancy phone booths) or semi-enclosable (e.g., carrels) rooms with no more than three seats per room.
3. Designated collaboration zones provided as enclosable or semi-enclosable rooms with no less than three seats and, at minimum, one visual vertical surface area for communicating ideas or work.
4. A system for booking or reserving enclosable quiet and collaboration zones.

Personal storage and organization:
Storage is provided to minimize clutter and support an organized environment through one or a combination of the following:

 

1. A workstation cabinet at a minimum volume of 4 ft³ for each regular occupant with a permanent, designated workstation.
2. A personal locker at a minimum volume of 4 ft³ for each regular occupant without a permanent workstation (e.g., offices with rotating desks or free address policies).

 

M11.1 — Provide Workplace Sleep Support
The following requirements are met:

1. Eligible employees are allowed to engage in a minimum of one 20 - 30 minute nap during the day.
2. Educational materials are available on daytime napping (e.g., optimal time of day, strategies for minimization of nighttime sleep distribution).
3. At least one of the furniture options below is provided per 100 eligible employees and placed in a calm, quiet and low-light environment:
   1. Bed or daybed.
   2. Couch.
   3. Cushioned roll-out mat.
   4. Sleep pod.
   5. Fully reclining chair.
   6. Hammock.
4. Projects address healthy sleep habits among employees who engage in shift work, including:
   1. Protocol to avoid unplanned changes to shift schedule, including providing minimum advance notice of schedule changes.
   2. Educational materials on strategies to minimize fatigue, maintain good sleep hygiene and manage sleep problems associated with shift work.

 

M11.2 — Provide Non-Workplace Sleep Support
Employee sleep support:
The following requirements are met:

1. Projects implement the following policies to support employees in achieving a minimum seven hours of sleep:
   1. For non-shift work, an organizational cap is in place that sets expectations that work and communications be limited to the project or organization's business hours in the local time zone.
   2. For shift work, work and communications are expected only for the duration of the employee's shift.
2. All eligible employees have access to software, applications or other tools that monitor sleep influencing behavior, covering, at minimum, sleep schedule, physical activity and eating patterns (including caffeine and alcohol consumption). Projects provide one of the following:
   1. Paid monitoring tools at no cost or subsidized by at least 50%.
   2. Easily accessible list of free monitoring tools.
3. Provide occupants with education materials on environmental and behavioral determinants of sleep quality and duration, covering, at minimum, sleep schedule, sleep environment, physical activity, nutrition (including caffeine and alcohol), light exposure, and use of technology.

 

M12.1 — Provide Business Travel Support
Projects address at least two of the following requirements:

1. Employers promote the following for all eligible employees:
   1. When flying less than seven hours, employees are provided the option of a non–red eye flight.
   2. When flying more than seven hours, employees are provided at least one of the following options: non-red eye flight, fully reclining airplane seat, or the option to arrive a day early (when flying out) and take a recovery day (when flying back) to support time zone adjustment.
   3. Employees are not required to take business trips for which the total, round-trip travel time (including lay-overs, wait times and travel to and from terminals) exceeds 25% of the total trip duration (trips with a duration of less than five hours are exempt).
   4. Employees are provided with education on how to establish healthy sleep habits and manage time zone changes during and after travel.
2. Employers support employee workload while away. Policy may be adjusted as needed for different teams or departments within an organization based on business needs and must cover at least three of the options below:
   1. Establishing preferred communications channels for contacting the employee while away, including consideration of time zone differences.
   2. Reallocation of work among other non-traveling employees while traveler is away.
   3. Routine scheduling of time to catch up on work upon return.
   4. Flexible return arrangements (e.g., work from home option on day after return).
3. Employers implement the options below:
   1. Employees are booked at hotels with free fitness centers or reimbursed for fitness classes or gym access fees incurred during travel.
   2. Employees are provided with meal stipends that allow for the purchase of healthy food options.
   3. Employees are provided with education on maintaining healthy habits while traveling, covering, at minimum, physical activity and nutrition (including alcohol consumption).
4. Employers implement at least two of the options below:
5. >
   1. During business trips longer than three weeks, employees are given the time off and a budget to fly home or to fly a friend or family member to meet them for at least 48 hours (total round-trip travel time for visitor, including layovers, wait times and travel to and from terminals, may not exceed 25% of the total trip duration).
   2. During business trips longer than two weeks, financial support is provided for employees with dependents at home (including pets) to subsidize costs of caretaking while employee is traveling for business.
   3. Employees are provided with education covering how to cope with time away from family while traveling.

 

M13.1 — Promote Tobacco Prevention
The following requirements are met:

1. The sale of tobacco products and e-cigarettes on project property is banned (e.g., through on-site vendors).
2. Education on the health consequences of tobacco is provided to all regular building occupants.

 

M13.2 — Support Tobacco Cessation
Information is available for all eligible employees about available programming, counseling and coverage related to tobacco cessation, including clear information about how to access these resources, in addition to at least four of the following requirements:

1. Resources referring tobacco users to tobacco cessation telephone quit lines or online quitting resources.
2. Tobacco cessation counseling covered at no cost or subsidized by at least 50%. Programs may be provided on- or off-site; in group or individual settings; and through vendors, on-site staff, health insurance plans or programs, community groups or other qualified practitioners.
3. Prescription tobacco cessation medications and nicotine replacement products (e.g., inhalers, nasal sprays, bupropion, varenicline) covered at no cost or subsidized by at least 50%.
4. Nationally-approved, over-the-counter nicotine replacement products (e.g., gum, patches, lozenges) covered at no cost or subsidized by at least 50%.
5. Incentive program for current tobacco users actively trying to quit.

 

M14.1 — Promote Substance Abuse Prevention and Education
Project policy:
The following requirement is met:

1. A policy is in place regarding the use of alcohol and drugs on-site and is clearly communicated to all employees.

Substance use and addiction education:
All employees receive education addressing substance use and addiction, focused on increasing awareness of the following:

1. Management of personal substance use, covering, at minimum:
   1. Healthy substance use habits.
   2. Risks and signs of dependency or addiction.
   3. Short- and long-term health and productivity hazards of excessive substance use.
2. Prescription opioid education, covering, at minimum:
   1. Questions to ask at point of prescribing.
   2. Safe use (e.g., storage, disposal, driving while using).
   3. Signs of dependency or addiction.
3. How to appropriately respond to a peer struggling with substance use, covering, at minimum:
   1. How to support a peer's recovery efforts.
   2. What to do in the case of a substance use emergency (e.g., withdrawal, overdose).

 

M14.2 — Provide Access to Substance Use Services
Substance use and addiction support services are made available to all eligible employees at no cost or subsidized by at least 50%, including the following:

1. Ability to use sick time or take leave for substance use and addiction treatment or needs.
2. Materials or information for accessing substance use and addiction services and community resources, including clear information provided to employees about their benefits coverage and how to access care services. Resources must be made available to all employees in a confidential manner that can be independently accessed (e.g., via a health portal or employee website) so as to ease accessibility and minimize stress or fear of stigma in seeking information.
3. Insurance or employee assistance plans offering coverage for at least five of the services below:
   1. Confidential substance abuse screening and resource referral.
   2. Brief interventions (e.g., brief therapies).
   3. Outpatient and inpatient treatment.
   4. Medication-assisted treatment (e.g., methadone treatment).
   5. Peer support groups.
   6. Counseling services (e.g., behavioral therapies).
   7. Follow-up services during treatment and recovery.
4. Commitment to mental health parity, including substance use and addiction services.

 

M15.1 — Provide Opioid Emergency Response Kits and Training
Opioid response kits:
The following requirements are met:

1. All emergency preparedness or first aid kits include:
   1. Naloxone rescue kits. Projects may choose a single dose nasal spray, a multi-step nasal spray, a single step injection or a multi-step injection.
   2. Instructions for how to prepare and administer naloxone, as well as immediate next steps after administration.
   3. A list of who on-site has received opioid response training.
2. Protocol is in place for follow-up after an opioid emergency event, including plan for:
   1. Debriefing for those affected.
   2. Immediate replacement of naloxone kit following use.
3. A schedule is in place for checking expiration dates of the kit.

Opioid response training:
The following requirements are met:

1. Employees receive opioid emergency training (in-person by a qualified provider or through video) covering:
   1. General information about opioid use and naloxone.
   2. Recognizing the signs of an overdose and immediate steps to take.
   3. How to safely administer naloxone and what steps to take following administration.

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