An international research collective

Measuring what matters in workplace health & well-being

We believe in fostering workplaces with healthy, thriving employees. Using science-based metrics we empower organizations to measure what matters for long-term impact and resilient workplaces.

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Individual Well-being, Thriving, Energy, Effectiveness

Organizational Performance, Culture, Risk, Care

Environmental Indoor quality, Occupant perception

Community Stakeholder engagement, Social impact

Global ESG, Sustainability, Strategic alignment

Why it matters

Beyond lagging indicators — a framework built for how organizations actually work

Most organizations measure health and well-being through absenteeism, turnover, or satisfaction scores alone. These lagging indicators tell you what already went wrong. They don't help you understand why — or prevent it from happening again.

The 12 Competencies Framework was built by an international team of researchers and practitioners across public health, design, cognitive science, sustainability, and organizational behavior. It gives organizations the leading indicators they need to act before problems arise.

Developed through a rigorous six-stage transdisciplinary process, the framework is evidence-based, adaptive, and ready to integrate with existing ESG, DEI, and sustainability reporting.

Core competencies across five levels of impact

Domains to guide measurement and benchmarking

International researchers across 10 countries

150

Dimensions identified from 650+ sources

The framework

Five levels. Twelve competencies.

Each competency is supported by evidence-based domains and dimensions — broad enough for benchmarking, specific enough to guide action. Together they form a connected picture of what it takes for people and organizations to thrive.

Level 1 Individual

Health & Well-being

Physical, emotional, and social well-being as interconnected states — not just absence of illness.

Thriving

Energy, contentment, meaning, and work-life balance as measurable drivers of sustained performance.

Performance Energy & Motivation

How individual and collective environments shape the capacity and drive to do meaningful work.

Employee Effectiveness

Engagement, focus, and productivity understood as dynamic states, not fixed traits.

Level 2 Organizational

Organizational Performance

Linking leadership effectiveness and employee investment to measurable organizational outcomes.

Culture & Engagement

Psychological safety, trust, and alignment as foundations of a thriving workplace culture.

Risk Management

A broader definition of resilience that includes psychosocial risk and organizational adaptability.

Environment of Care & Support

DEI, well-being policies, and collective practices that shape perceived support.

Level 3 Environmental

Indoor Environmental Quality

Air, light, acoustics, nature access, and design as evidence-based drivers of health outcomes.

Occupant & Market Perceptions

How employees and the market experience and value the physical work environment.

Level 4 Community

Community & Stakeholder Engagement

Sense of place, equity, social impact, and the link between employee and community health.

Level 5 Global

ESG & Sustainability Reporting

Integrating well-being measurement with green building standards, social governance, and global frameworks.

Learn with us · May 6, 2026

Measuring What Matters: Introducing the 12 Competencies for Health & Well-being

Join us for the launch session of our 13-part series — a 60-minute introduction to the 12 Competencies Framework, why traditional metrics fall short, and what a holistic approach to measuring workplace health and well-being looks like in practice.

Two sessions available on May 6, 2026 to accommodate global timezones. Sessions are 60 minutes: 45 minutes of teaching followed by 15 minutes of Q&A. Recordings made available to registered participants.

Two sessions available — choose the time that works for your timezone.

May 6 · 4:00 PM MST
Best for APAC & later US timezones May 6 · 9:00 AM MST
Best for Europe & earlier US timezones

Measuring What Matters: Introducing the 12 Competencies

May 6, 2026 · Why traditional metrics fall short — and the 12C alternative

Well-being: Beyond Absence of Illness

Individual Level · Thriving, mental health, balance

Energy & Motivation

Individual Level · From burnout metrics to energy indicators

Employee Effectiveness

Individual Level · Linking human performance to outcomes

Organizational Performance

Organizational Level · Meaningful metrics beyond productivity

Culture & Engagement

Organizational Level · Psychological safety, trust, alignment

Risk & Environment of Care

Organizational Level · Policies that protect and support

Indoor Environmental Quality

Environmental Level · Air, light, acoustics, nature access

Occupant & Market Perceptions

Environmental Level · How space is experienced and valued

Community & Stakeholder Engagement

Community Level · Beyond the workplace walls

ESG & Sustainability

Global Level · Linking well-being to global reporting

Strategic Alignment

Global Level · Mission, measurement, and action

Putting It All Together

Implementation across real estate, design, HR, and ESG

The researchers

An international team of eleven

The 12 Competencies Framework was developed by researchers and practitioners spanning public health, architecture, design, cognitive science, organizational behavior, and sustainability — across ten countries.

Angela Loder, PhD

Lead Author · Corresponding Author

Greening the City LLC, Denver, CO
University of Colorado Boulder

Christhina Candido

Co-Author

Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning
University of Melbourne, Australia

Sergio Altomonte

Co-Author

Architecture et Climat, LOCI
Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium

Whitney Austin Gray

Co-Author

International WELL Building Institute, USA

Casey Lindberg

Co-Author

Department of Environmental Design
University of Colorado Boulder, USA

Susan Sung Eun Chung

Co-Author

HKS Inc., Dallas, TX, USA

Ina Rothmann

Co-Author

WorkWell Research Unit – Afriforte
North-West University, South Africa

Avis Devine

Co-Author

Harvard Graduate School of Design, USA

Yoko Kawai

Co-Author

Yale School of Architecture, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

Usha Satish

Co-Author

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
SUNY Upstate Medical University, USA

Sally Augustin

Co-Author

Design with Science, La Grange Park, IL, USA

The research

Published in the Journal of Corporate Real Estate

The 12 Competencies Framework is grounded in a peer-reviewed publication developed through a six-stage iterative process drawing on 650+ sources across public health, design, cognitive science, organizational behavior, and sustainability.

The framework identifies five interconnected levels of impact and 12 core competencies supported by 63 domains and 150 dimensions — broad enough for benchmarking, specific enough to guide measurement and action.

Loder, A., Candido, C., Altomonte, S., Gray, W.A., Lindberg, C., Chung, S.S.E., Rothmann, I., Devine, A., Kawai, Y., Satish, U., & Augustin, S. (2025). Developing a transdisciplinary and adaptive framework to measure health and well-being for the workplace: the 12 competencies. Journal of Corporate Real Estate. DOI: 10.1108/JCRE-09-2024-0033

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The 12 Competencies at a Glance

Individual Well-being · Thriving · Energy · Effectiveness 4

Organizational Performance · Culture · Risk · Care 4

Environmental IEQ · Occupant Perception 2

Community Stakeholder Engagement 1

Global ESG & Sustainability 1

Total competencies 12

Get in touch

Work with us

Whether you're interested in the webinar series, piloting the framework in your organization, training, or a consulting engagement — we'd love to hear from you.

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