From 25 May, the VUB will launch a new Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for staff members. According to Director of People & Organisation Elke Jorens, the initiative is intended to make wellbeing support within the organisation more accessible. “We want to place wellbeing explicitly at the centre of our approach, not as something secondary, but as an essential part of functioning well.”
What exactly is the EAP?
Elke Jorens:“EAP stands for Employee Assistance Programme. In essence, it is a voluntary support service for staff members. The VUB funds the programme, meaning employees can use it free of charge. The main component is psychological support, but the programme also offers practical assistance and crisis support.
In practical terms, staff can contact an external service 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Everything is handled in complete confidence. The employer is not informed when someone makes use of the service. We only receive anonymised figures about overall usage, never personal information.”
“Anything that affects your wellbeing can be discussed. There is also a separate form of crisis support.”
What kind of support can employees receive?
“It is very broad. People can seek help with work-related concerns, but equally with personal difficulties. That might include stress, burnout symptoms, problems with work–life balance, relationship difficulties or coping with change. Bereavement or difficult family situations can also be discussed. So it is certainly not limited to professional matters alone. Anything that affects your wellbeing can be talked about. In addition, there is a separate form of crisis support, for example following an unexpected bereavement, an accident or another traumatic event.”
The programme also targets managers?
“Yes. Managers can use the EAP as a kind of external sounding board. For instance, when they have to deliver difficult news, are dealing with a complex situation within their team or want advice on how best to support someone. These are situations that arise in every organisation. We think it is important that managers do not have to face them alone.”
Why has the VUB decided to introduce this initiative now?
“When I joined the VUB almost two years ago, I noticed that wellbeing and the organisation itself were still often viewed as two separate things. In reality, they are very closely connected. We expect a university to provide excellent education and research, but that cannot be separated from the people doing the work. Wellbeing is not an afterthought — it is a foundation.”
How does this fit into the broader vision of People & Organisation?
“At People & Organisation, we want to strengthen the connection between individuals and the organisation. That means encouraging both staff members and managers to take ownership and to help shape the organisation together. The context is constantly changing. Universities, too, are dealing with financial pressures, restructuring and wider social changes. That inevitably affects people. You cannot expect managers or staff to carry all of that alone. That is why we want to place wellbeing explicitly at the centre — not as something additional, but as an essential part of functioning effectively.”
“People constantly have to adapt. That takes a great deal of energy.”
Was there not already psychological support available at the VUB?
“There certainly were initiatives already in place. For example, we work with a freelance psychologist, and psychologists are also available through BRUCC Wellbeing. These are valuable initiatives that have produced positive results. At the same time, we realised that this support was too small-scale for an organisation with around four thousand employees. We wanted to create a more structural and scalable service that is accessible to everyone.”
The EAP promises 24/7 availability and rapid support without waiting lists. Those are ambitious promises. Is that realistic?
“Yes, absolutely. The system works with an external partner that specialises in this area. When someone gets in touch, the service looks at which psychologist is best suited to that person’s specific situation or request. If you look for psychological support independently today, you often run into long waiting lists. This service lowers that barrier considerably.
After that, a support trajectory is put in place, usually involving several sessions. The major difference compared with regular healthcare is, of course, the speed with which people can receive help.”
“Seeking support shows that you are taking responsibility”
Is wellbeing in the workplace a greater challenge today than it used to be?
“I think organisations today are confronted far more with constant change. People continually have to adapt: to new structures, technologies, expectations or broader social developments. That demands a great deal of energy. At the same time, we see that the boundary between work and private life is sometimes becoming blurred. That is why it is important for organisations to deal with this consciously and provide proper support.”
What do you hope the EAP will mean for the VUB in the long term?
“I hope staff will feel able to seek help more quickly when they are struggling, and that wellbeing becomes easier to talk about within the organisation. It is not only about solving problems once things go wrong. It is also about prevention and support. Sometimes it already makes an enormous difference simply to speak to an external professional.”
Is there still a misconception you would like to challenge?
“Perhaps the idea that psychological support is only intended for very serious problems. That is simply not true. People should also feel able to seek help for smaller difficulties, or simply when they feel they need guidance. The fact that you seek support does not mean you are weak. On the contrary: it shows that you are taking responsibility for yourself and for how you function.”
Bio
Elke Jorens is Director of People & Organisation (P&O) at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). She is responsible for the university’s HR policy and works on wellbeing, leadership and organisational development.