Our society places increasing importance on mental and physical wellbeing, even in the workplace. This brings certain expectations from employees towards their employers. However, it seems there’s a gap: only 38% of employees feel that the promise of ‘attention to mental wellbeing’ is being met. "Research shows that the academic sector is a high-risk group."
Labour and organisational psychologist Professor Tim Vantilborgh from VUB, together with KU Leuven and IDEWE – Belgium’s largest external service for prevention and workplace safety – investigated employees' expectations and the extent to which these were being met regarding wellbeing.
Were you surprised by the results of the study?
"7 out of 10 employees in the study said that they found attention to mental and physical wellbeing and work-life balance important and that they saw this as an obligation for the employer. The fact that 38% feel their expectations aren't met doesn't come as a complete surprise."
Why is that?
"In recent years, we’ve noticed a struggle with mental wellbeing in the workplace. The COVID crisis only highlighted this issue. Burnout rates have been steadily rising over the last decade. This is often linked to a changing work environment, where organisations are trying to achieve the same output with fewer resources. Things like digital transformations can also cause a lot of stress."
"We were somewhat surprised by the lower score regarding early signs of burnout and stress. People didn’t see it as much of an obligation for organisations to detect these early on. One possible explanation could be that discussions about burnout are still often seen as something individuals need to tackle themselves. Personally, I find that strange because a burnout is a combination of both the work environment and personal factors."
"When a team member drops out, the workload increases for the others"
What are the main causes of mental health issues at work?
"If you look at the factors that lead to stress or burnout, it's often the relationship with one’s manager or conflicts with colleagues. Chronic work pressure and working with barely achievable deadlines also play a role. Another issue is the lack of disconnection, with people finding it difficult to build moments of rest into their daily lives. Without disconnection, it’s impossible to recover from the stressors they experience."
What are the consequences?
"They’re enormous for society. The cost in Europe runs into the billions, and organisations benefit financially by paying attention to mental wellbeing. As a society, we also benefit because significant sums are spent supporting people who are forced to drop out. It’s difficult for families too when someone experiences burnout. It’s a huge challenge to get through such a situation together. The same goes for colleagues. When someone drops out from a team, the workload increases for the others, and burnout can spread like wildfire."
How can employers provide solutions?
"First and foremost, they need to pay attention to what employees feel about wellbeing. Not all employers are aware of the obligations that employees perceive in this area. This can lead to a breakdown in relationships. Paying attention can be done through training or further education for managers."
Don’t some managers face the same issues themselves?
"Absolutely. Many find themselves in a complex position because they too have superiors to answer to. They want to pay attention to employee wellbeing, but at the same time, they face pressure from above to achieve certain goals. That’s why it’s important to have an organisational culture where there’s attention to wellbeing at all levels."
How is the VUB doing in this regard?
"I can’t comment on that based on this research, as the sample wasn’t specifically taken from VUB staff. However, research does show that the academic sector is a high-risk group. PhD students, for example, can struggle with mental health issues, partly due to the uncertainty about future employment and the pressure they face."
What can we expect from your research in the future?
"With my team of doctoral students, we hope to develop a tool within a year that can track the development of burnout. This would allow us to predict whether someone is entering a risk zone. Employers can then be made aware of which aspects of the work environment need attention. Factors like work pressure and a lack of autonomy are examples. On the other hand, we also hope to have a tool that can help diagnose burnout. Right now, there’s still no definitive way to diagnose someone with burnout."
*This is a machine translation. We apologize for any inaccuracies.