VUB builds a stronger wellbeing policy for its staff

Elke, how do you see the role of P&O within the VUB?
“HR’s task is to create an environment where people feel safe, engaged and supported. Our mission is clear: to strengthen leadership and encourage people-centred decision-making.

For me, the key word is ‘partner’. We need to actively help teams make the right decisions themselves. We want to build a sustainable connection between people and the organisation. That’s a big statement, but today those two things are still too often disconnected.

Take the Service Now ticketing system. For some requests, it works perfectly well. Someone who is pregnant and wants to know what to do about maternity leave should be able to get help quickly through some sort of knowledge tool. But for other matters, such a system feels distant and impersonal. Think of a team that is struggling and needs coaching, but only receives help through a ticket. That’s far removed from what I would call a strategic partnership.

One possible solution could be strategic HR business partners who are present at faculty level and within research departments. They can provide personal guidance to teams, connecting partnership, wellbeing and leadership — resulting in real impact and change.”

How does wellbeing fit into that?
“Wellbeing lies at the heart of our personnel policy. It’s not a separate topic or a trendy buzzword, but the foundation that allows people and teams to perform their core tasks effectively. This means wellbeing should be embedded throughout all HR processes. Take career development, for instance. In the past, these conversations were often scheduled on paper or planned far in advance. Now, genuine dialogue, feedback and personal development need to take centre stage.

One of the main drivers of wellbeing is leadership. Managing people should be a core responsibility for anyone in a leadership position. Today, I notice that many people aren’t entirely sure what their role as a leader entails. Too often, the focus is solely on expertise, and not enough on supporting people.

There’s also still a lack of awareness around toxic leadership and transgressive behaviour. The concept of ‘GOG’ (boundary-crossing behaviour) is often interpreted too narrowly, while it goes far beyond sexual harassment alone. Setting and assessing expectations, providing the right tools, and involving HR business partners to coach are all crucial elements that are still insufficiently in place today.”

So is wellbeing mainly the responsibility of the line manager?
“The role of employees is just as important. Everyone shares responsibility for their own growth and development. In times of AI and lifelong learning, it’s essential that people continue to develop themselves to remain relevant and sustainably employable in the labour market.

I strongly believe in personal leadership — both within the organisation and in society. That means each of us takes responsibility for our own development, but also steps in when something isn’t going well for colleagues. No one has all the answers, but together we can be stronger.

You learn leadership through experience, but inspiration and clear frameworks are needed to make it effective. This isn’t just the task of P&O, but of everyone within the organisation.”

How do you want to bring about this cultural shift around wellbeing within the VUB?
“VUB is currently operating at full speed, and that inevitably affects the wellbeing of staff and PhD students. Within the wellbeing project, we’ve therefore developed a new vision with the ambition to make wellbeing the beating heart of the university by 2030. Our core missions (education, research and social engagement) will of course remain central. But we are shifting the focus: managers will no longer concentrate solely on task execution, but also on the wellbeing of their teams. In this way, wellbeing becomes a core element of our policy, with P&O playing a supportive role in realising this ambition. The plans are ready and now await approval from the steering committee.”

How will you implement these plans?
“To achieve the shift towards people-centred leadership, fundamental changes are needed. Within the new ZAP career policy, and also the upcoming ATP career policy, agreements will be made on output, measurable results and attitudes linked to Engaged Leading, and we’ll look at how this can be integrated into feedback, promotion criteria and evaluations. The idea is that, over time, this will become a norm within the organisational culture. This will take time, but the process has already begun.

In the long term, we will also introduce 360° feedback, so that managers are partly evaluated by their teams. Employees will be able to indicate from whom they want to receive feedback, giving managers a broader view of their performance and areas for growth. We are largely aligned with the trade unions on this, who are also involved in the wellbeing working groups.

Additionally, all wellbeing processes are being reviewed, from stress to grief and other psychosocial situations. We are mapping clearly where people can turn, who plays which role, and what the next steps are. This will be presented in a kind of canvas, so that staff can easily see how support works.

At the same time, we sometimes hear reactions like, ‘Do we have to behave now?’ I want to emphasise that freedom of expression will always remain a core value at the VUB, but there are ways of expressing things. However, the fact that this is being so rigidly interpreted is concerning to me.”

Elke, it’s clear that the role of managers within the new wellbeing policy is crucial for its success. What is your message to them?
“My message is simple: take your key role in wellbeing seriously and be attentive to your team, keeping the values of the VUB in mind. Reflect consciously on why you are a manager and what you can concretely do for the wellbeing of your staff. By creating a safe and supportive work environment, we can successfully achieve our shared mission of education, research and engagement. Let’s work together to build a culture where people-centred leadership and wellbeing are taken for granted.”

*Through Engaged Leading, the university focuses on prevention and team wellbeing, supporting managers in creating a healthy and resilient work culture.