“Once people drop out, we are already too late”

Prof. Hofmans, Professor of Work and Organisational Psychology at the VUB: “The way fundamental research is traditionally conducted also hinders progress. Scientists usually work within a single discipline and examine mental health problems and potential solutions through that particular lens. Psychology, for example, focuses strongly on the individual and has therefore mainly developed interventions aimed at increasing personal resilience. We recognise that such a focused approach has its strengths, but it does not always allow us to tackle mental health problems sufficiently, precisely because they are much more complex. This chair allows us to bring different disciplines together and use this richness of perspectives to address issues that genuinely keep organisations and society awake at night.”

“Toxic leadership is a complex phenomenon; the working environment also plays a role”

What are currently the main causes of mental health problems in the workplace?
Prof. Vanroelen: “The causes are very diverse. The work itself plays a role: do employees have enough autonomy and room to manage job demands? Job insecurity is also an important factor. This is not only about the fear of losing a job, but also about change and uncertainty about what lies ahead. Think of restructuring or a lack of resources and personnel, which is a major issue in healthcare and the public sector. We see that women are more vulnerable to dropping out of work. Besides the work-life balance, this also relates to the sectors in which they are employed. The major growth sectors in our economy are contact-based professions, ranging from domestic services to healthcare. These are sectors where women predominantly work. It is precisely there that we see a sharp rise in work-related incapacity. And if there is one stress factor that national and international research has shown to be consistently increasing since the 2000s, it is workload and growing complexity requirements, often linked to technology. People struggle to keep pace. Of course, we should not ban technology, but we can organise work in a way that makes technological innovation supportive rather than an additional source of pressure.”

Prof. Hofmans: “Toxic leadership is often pointed to today as a major cause of mental health problems. To be clear, toxic leadership poses a serious threat to employees’ mental wellbeing, but the way this problem is often viewed is too simplistic. The cause of such behaviour is frequently attributed solely to the leader — the bad apple — while we know that the working environment also plays a role and can encourage toxic leadership. Think of workplaces where competition is strongly stimulated or where performance-based pay is central. If you only look at the individual as the cause, the solutions remain limited. You can try not to hire such people — which is difficult, as research shows that individuals with these traits often progress into senior positions — or dismiss them, but by then the damage has already been done. By recognising that the work environment can both trigger and limit toxic behaviour, you gain more tools to intervene. No matter how many leadership training sessions you offer managers, without the space to apply what they learn or the right working context, they remain a dead letter.”

Prof. Vanroelen: “Prevention of mental wellbeing problems at work is still too often driven by intuition. Nobody can oppose an employer who takes care of their people with a gym membership, a fruit basket or a pool table. Such initiatives make people feel valued. But if the workload remains extremely high, employees feel they are simply being fobbed off. Initiatives are also often imposed from the top down without asking employees what their main sources of stress are. That too is a missed opportunity. A good wellbeing policy requires a thoughtful and structural approach.”

“We want to deliver an open-source handbook and toolbox, including for smaller organisations”

What do you hope to have achieved in five years’ time?
Prof. Hofmans: “We do not want to develop interventions solely from an academic perspective. We want to work together with organisations, starting from concrete needs and questions. There is still too often a gap between science and practice. This must be a co-creative process. One of the main goals of this chair is to produce a practical handbook that organisations can actively use: a guide containing good practices and interventions that have proven value in real-world settings. I also hope we can move away from the blame game about who is responsible and evolve towards a more constructive debate about mental wellbeing.”

Prof. Vanroelen: “If we succeed in developing a free, open-source handbook and toolbox, that will be incredibly valuable. Today, many private partners develop methodologies and build commercial models around them. Large companies can make use of these services, but many smaller businesses and social-profit organisations often lack the resources to hire expensive consultants. The more employers we can convince that prevention genuinely has a business case, the greater the benefits. We strongly believe — and there is evidence supporting this — that prevention is one of the most important solutions to long-term work incapacity. Once people drop out, they often enter a lengthy process that does not always end in reintegration. Over the next 20 to 30 years, we are heading towards a period of significant labour shortages. Organisations must realise they will have to work with the people they have, with all their strengths and vulnerabilities, and that investing in their wellbeing is therefore worthwhile.”

Which prevention guidelines should be on every CEO’s desk today?
Prof. Vanroelen: “We have developed a strong definition for this. It reads: ‘The ideal approach to primary prevention is holistic, context-sensitive and bottom-up. It stimulates internal ownership and combines short-term improvements with sustainable long-term efforts to improve the psychosocial working environment.’ That is, of course, easier said than done, and that is exactly where the challenge for our chair lies. Culture, openness and awareness are crucial. We should also remember that work is not only a place where stress arises, but also a source of many positive things. By consciously reducing stressors while paying attention to sources of energy, support and motivation, we can build sustainable workplaces.”

Prof. Hofmans: “It is essential that people feel heard within their organisation. That is often where things go wrong. Think of wellbeing surveys carried out simply because they are required, after which nothing is done with the results. Genuinely listening is important. Pretending to listen can sometimes be more harmful than not listening at all.”