SIERRA’s Futuristic eFACILITY® Building Achieves WELL Certification

According to Statista, Americans spend 92% of their time indoors. Part of it may be due to the COVID19 pandemic, however, research reports indicate that the Internet and social media (average 2 hours 25 minutes per day) help bring everything indoors (you can order food, groceries, and pretty much anything online), and no one feels the need to stir out.

The United States Environment Protection Agency (EPA) concurs this and says that people spending practically an entire lifetime indoors face various health risks. You may have imagined that it is safe to remain indoors, but did you know that the air within buildings is seriously polluted according to studies conducted by the EPA?

A deep concern for the environment and the welfare of its employees were the significant factors that led to the creation of one of the healthiest and India’s highest-ranking WELL Platinum-certified workspaces – the eFACILITY® Building. Post-COVID, the workspace is proving to be doubly safe.

Rated under the WELL v2 rating system by the International WELL Building Institute, the eFACILITY® Building is the healthiest workplace in India today, scoring a whopping 86 out of 100 points for various indoor health parameters. Heaving a sigh of relief, the employees stream in every morning to work, knowing very well that they will remain healthy and safe while inside the premises despite the lingering threat of the pandemic and the consistently deteriorating air quality due to high pollution levels in the city.

The main pollutants in the city are the increasing industrial activity, and fossil fuel usage (Global carbon emissions from fossil fuels are steadily increasing, and CO₂ emissions have increased by 90% since 1970. Also, 29% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions – it is the single largest contributor to U.S. CHG emissions). The pandemic is a recent phenomenon, but the more alarming fact is the PM 2.5 & PM 10 levels (caused by industrial and construction activities), which are increasing unabatedly in most cities. Added to that is the threat from the increased gas pollution like NOX, SOX, etc., because of industrial activity.

According to the McKinsey report, despite the pandemic, some critical activities like negotiations, crucial business decisions, brainstorming sessions, providing sensitive feedback, and onboarding new employees are better accomplished at the office than remotely.

With the primary focus on health, a green building like the eFACiLiTY® Building helps enhance employee productivity, safety, and general well-being. To become a WELL Platinum-certified workspace like SIERRA’s HQ, the eFACILITY®Building, you need to fulfill 10 WELL concepts like Air, Water, Nourishment, Light, Movement, Thermal Comfort, Sound, Materials, Mind, and Community. Also, WELL stipulates several mandatory credits across these 10 key factors, some of which earn you points, and some don’t, though both sets are equally significant.

WELL combines best practices in design, construction, and operations with evidence-based scientific research – harnessing buildings as vehicles to support human health and well-being. Beyond the physical features, WELL also informs the organization’s policies and protocols, from the benefits provided to the employees to the operational protocols followed to keep the space safer and healthier.

At the eFACILITY® Building, employee health is critical and treated with high priority. Spaces can positively impact each employee’s health, safety, and well-being. The company worked in tandem with the team at InHabit, a Coimbatore-based Green Building Consultant, to introduce other health-focused changes like ergonomic furniture, circadian lighting, pure, safe water, and ample outdoor space for physical activities.

The software fraternity has always been under tremendous stress; SIERRA understands the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Even during the pre-COVID days, SIERRA implemented flexible work-from-home policies, and also offered part-time options to help employees be immediately available to take care of ailing/elderly family members.

There is also the SIERRA Eldercare Support Policy that allows employees to make use of local support services and referral programs available at the company. The bereavement support policy allows eligible employees to avail of 5 days of paid leave per year in case of an unfortunate loss of a spouse, child, or parent.

SIERRA’s eFACiLiTY® Occupant Wellness app contains knowledge-based articles that are very useful for its employees. These are probably some of the reasons why there’s a mad scramble to get hired in this leading software company that caters to international clients. While the applicants are many, only the best get hired.

Whether at work or play, the best place to be is the eFACiLiTY® Building at Coimbatore. It is rated the World’s 2nd Highest Ranking Green Building under the U.S. Green Building Council LEED rating system NC v2009, and India’s Highest Ranking Green Building under the India Green Building Council (IGBC) Green New Buildings rating system.