NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / April 13, 2026 / IWBI's landmark report, Investing in Health Pays Back: The Business Case for Healthy Buildings and Healthy Organizations, underscores the powerful business case for health in buildings and organizations. The extensive body of research examined in this recently-released second edition points to a clear conclusion: health delivers measurable returns.
From driving societal economic gains to improving company performance through greater productivity, and from strengthening business outcomes to generating real estate benefits such as rent premiums, faster lease-uprates and higher valuations, the benefits are significant and well-documented.
Together, this aggregate research is redefining how investors evaluate risk and opportunity-elevating health and well-being from a perceived soft value to a material driver of long-term performance. As investors increasingly look beyond traditional financials, health has emerged as a critical consideration with ESG frameworks.(1) While all three pillars-environmental, social and governance-touch on aspects of well-being, it is the social pillar that most directly reflects a company's impact on people, echoing the foundational role of "people" in the original "people, planet, profit" definition of sustainability.(2)
As with changing environmental conditions, social conditions expose companies to new sources of risk and opportunity. For example, companies with broader talent pipelines and inclusive work environments are better positioned to compete for top talent in increasingly competitive markets. These organizations benefit from a variety of perspectives that drive innovation and problem-solving while reducing costly turnover.
From a market perspective, companies that appeal to wider audiences have larger customer bases, generating increased sales opportunities. The business case is straightforward: organizations that recruit from the widest possible talent pool and serve the broadest possible market are better positioned for sustainable growth and profitability. As investors and companies alike seek more sophisticated ways to measure these impacts, social sustainability is emerging as a central focus for developing meaningful, performance-based KPIs.
In one set of examples, researchers uncovered how investing in employee health spurs outperformance at the firm level:
Researchers at Oxford and Indeed used crowdsourced data from the Indeed platform to develop the Work Wellbeing Score and compared it to the financial performance of 1,782 publicly listed companies between October 2019 and December 2023. Researchers found that a 1-point increase in the Work Wellbeing Score was associated with annual increases of 1.4% to 1.6% in return on assets (ROA) and 1.63 to 2.75 billion USD in profits.(3)
This aligns with earlier findings of peer-reviewed studies that used simulation and past market performance and found that companies with strong employee health and well-being programs significantly outperform the S&P 500.
Portfolios composed of companies that received the C. Everett Koop National Health Award appreciated by 325% compared to the overall S&P 500 Index appreciation of 105%.(4)
A study of 45 companies that received high scores in a health and wellness assessment demonstrated appreciation of 235% compared to an overall S&P 500 Index appreciation of 159% over a six-year simulation period.(5)
These dynamics are equally relevant in real estate, where assets are managed, used and paid for by people. Engaged real estate investors pay attention to human capital management, as the connection between employee satisfaction and financial returns holds true in the real estate sector. Additionally, developing and operating real estate with a focus on social sustainability can help increase tenant satisfaction, improve community relations and drive financial performance:
WELL Certified buildings report significantly higher occupant satisfaction compared to those in non-WELL buildings, with 18% more satisfied with access to sunlight, 17% more satisfied with acoustical privacy, 16% more satisfied with connection to the outdoor environment, 12% more satisfied with lighting, 11% more satisfied with thermal comfort,and 10% more satisfied with both indoor air quality and air movement, as well as 12% fewer Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) complaints and 6% fewer musculoskeletal complaints.(8)
U.S. REITs with a health and well-being policy have outperformed, a relationship that was particularly strong in the face of a public health threat-the COVID-19 pandemic. During COVID (Feb 2020 - Feb 2022), REITs with a health and well-being policy and/or assets with healthy building certifications provided annualized returns of 10% compared to 6% for non-health focused REITs.(7)
Tenant satisfaction drives financial performance. Within the commercial office setting, research has found that a 1-point increase in tenant satisfaction is associated with a 4.6% lower probability of moving, and that 10% higher building-level tenant satisfaction correlates with 0.9% higher growth in effective gross rent.(8)
The growing integration of health and social considerations into investment decision-making signals a fundamental shift in how markets define value and manage risk. What we're witnessing is the early stages of a broader transformation-one that is poised to reshape investment strategies across all asset classes, sectors and geographies.
The organizations and investors who recognize this shift early-and position themselves accordingly-will capture significant competitive advantages. Those who continue to view health and social factors as ancillary considerations risk being left behind as markets increasingly price in these material drivers of long-term performance. The business case is clear, the regulatory landscape is emerging and institutional support is building. We stand at the threshold of an era where investing in health and well-being will not be considered optional-it will be recognized as fundamental to sound investment practice and sustainable value creation.
Access the full report at https://www.wellcertified.com/health-pays-back and explore how the materiality of health is reshaping the investment landscape (p. 46).
Join IWBI at the WELL 2026 Social Sustainability Summit, on Wednesday, April 15, as we explore how people-first strategies are shaping the future of business in Asia Pacific. Register here.
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1) World Bank. (2004). Who cares wins: Connecting financial markets to a changing world. World Bank Group. https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/280911488968799581/pdf/113237-WP-WhoCaresWins-2004.pdf
2) Triple bottom line. (2009, November 17). The Economist. https://www.economist.com/news/2009/11/17/triple-bottom-line
3) De Neve, J-E., Kaats, M., Ward, G. (2024). Workplace Wellbeing andFirm Performance. University of Oxford Wellbeing Research CentreWorking Paper 2304. doi.org/10.5287/ora-bpkbjayvk
4) Goetzel, R. Z., Fabius, R., Fabius, D., Roemer, E. C., Thornton, N., Kelly,R. K., Pelletier, K. R. (2016). The stock performance of C. Everett Koop award winners compared with the Standard & Poor's 500 Index. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 58(1), 9-15.https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000000632
5) Grossmeier, J., Fabius, R., Flynn, J. P., Noeldner, S. P., Fabius, D.,Goetzel, R. Z., & Anderson, D. R. (2016). Linking workplace health promotion best practices and organizational financial performance.Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 58(1), 16-23. https://doi.org/10.1097/jom.0000000000000631
6) Center Square. (2022). The social spotlight: An emerging focusin real estate ESG. https://www.centersquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/The_Social_Spotlight_-_An_Emerging_Focus_in_Real_Estate_ESG.pdf
7) Center Square. (2022). The social spotlight: An emerging focusin real estate ESG. https://www.centersquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/The_Social_Spotlight_-_An_Emerging_Focus_in_Real_Estate_ESG.pdf
8) Hu, M., Kok, N., & Palacios, J. (2024). Tenant satisfaction and commercial building performance (MIT Center for Real Estate Research Paper No. 24/01). SSRN. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4721577
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SOURCE: International WELL Building Institute (IWBI)
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