NEO has become the first office developer in Southeast Asia to achieve the WELL Equity Rating, developed by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), across a portfolio of seven buildings. 

This milestone validates NEO’s commitment to support thriving environments where all individuals feel welcome, recognized, and heard. The WELL Equity Rating provides organizations with a tangible roadmap to act on their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and accessibility goals and to transform how workplaces are designed, managed, and operated to create environments where everyone can show up as their authentic and best selves.

Comprising a subset of strategies from the WELL Building Standard, the WELL Equity Rating includes more than 40 strategies spanning six action areas — user experience and feedback, responsible hiring and labor practices, inclusive design, health benefits and services, supportive programs and spaces, and community engagement.

“At NEO, we're firm believers that diversity, equity, and inclusion are not just optional but imperative for driving innovation and progress forward. We recognize that when we create spaces and environments where every individual feels valued, we unlock the full potential of our community,” stated Gie Garcia, co-managing director and chief sustainability officer of NEO. “To achieve this goal, we've adopted the WELL Equity Rating roadmap, which strengthens our engagement with the community and promotes diversity within our organization by creating supportive programs and spaces. With this remarkable achievement, we remain dedicated to continuously improving and evolving our practices to serve our NEO community better.”

NEO applied WELL strategies across a portfolio of buildings through enterprise-wide participation in WELL at scale, aiming to advance health and well-being for over 27,000 people. Every WELL strategy implemented by NEO is validated by a third party review and targeted achievements give NEO an opportunity to provide tangible results for stakeholders and celebrate progress at key milestones along the way, such as the WELL Equity Rating.

“The WELL Equity Rating’s holistic approach to health equity plays an even more significant role in advancing an organization’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion when applied at scale,” said Jack Noonan, vice president, IWBI, Asia Pacific. “NEO’s portfolio-wide achievement of the WELL Equity Rating exemplifies health leadership in the commercial real estate industry.”

By participating in WELL at scale, NEO joins leading global brands in prioritizing, delivering, and benchmarking health and wellbeing impacts across their entire organization. To date, thousands of companies across 130 countries, including numerous Fortune 500 companies, use WELL as an evidence-based roadmap to shape the health and well-being of their people and organization.

Whether it’s enhancing employee retention through safety measures and mental health support, or advancing DEI through more inclusive hiring and design practices, WELL encompasses over 500 strategies addressing various aspects of how physical and social environments, as well as organizational protocols, influence employee productivity, performance, and wellbeing.

Raymond Rufino, CEO of NEO, stated, "Businesses globally are increasingly recognizing the significant impact that physical space can have in promoting inclusivity and ensuring that everyone feels valued, acknowledged, and listened to. While many organizations have expressed their dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion, only a few have a clear plan for implementation. The introduction of the WELL Equity Rating is a groundbreaking initiative that enables both real estate players and corporate organizations to effectively fulfill their commitments."

As NEO embarks on its DEI journey, the company stands out as an early adopter of the WELL Equity Rating in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, and encourages other companies in the country to start their diversity, equity and inclusion journey.