VUB and HELIOS Foundation launch chair on mental well-being at work
The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and HELIOS Foundation are launching the chair on mental well-being at work. With this new collaboration, both partners want to contribute to healthier, more sustainable and more people-oriented workplaces in Belgium. The chair will combine scientific research with concrete interventions in organisations to reduce psychosocial risks and help prevent long-term disability due to mental health problems.
Mental well-being at work is under increasing pressure today. More and more employees are dropping out long-term due to psychological complaints such as burnout, depression and stress-related disorders. At the same time, policies in many organisations remain mainly focused on recovery after problems have occurred. Prevention, early detection and a healthy working environment still receive too little attention, while this is where the biggest gains can be made. With the chair, the VUB and HELIOS Foundation want to help make the shift from a reactive to a preventive approach. Among other things, the researchers will set up a representative career panel, develop and evaluate interventions within organisations, generate new insights into burnout and investigate how leadership can contribute to better mental health at work.
"Those who want to reduce the number of long-term sick people should not only look at who can return to work. The real challenge starts earlier, with primary prevention and creating sustainable work in which people feel good and can develop," says Prof Christophe Vanroelen, promoter of the chair at VUB.
The chair brings together expertise from sociology, psychology and management sciences. This interdisciplinary cooperation forms the basis for an ambitious research programme that should eventually grow into a VUB Sustainable Work Lab. There, scientific insights on work, well-being and organisational development will be translated into concrete solutions for employers, employees and policymakers.
An important part of the chair is the close cooperation with organisations from both the private and the social profit sector. Scientists there will design, implement and evaluate interventions together with employees, managers and external facilitators. In this way, the chair aims not only to develop new knowledge, but also to provide practical tools for employers, HR professionals, prevention services and governments.
"By connecting science and business, we make well-being at work not an ambition, but a shared reality. Only by working together can we develop sustainable solutions to complex challenges such as burnout and long-term disability," says Prof Dr Joeri Hofmans, co-supervisor of the chair.
According to Rector Jan Danckaert, the new chair perfectly illustrates how social impact arises from strong partnerships: "As a university, we want to develop scientific knowledge that makes a difference in society. This is only possible by entering into sustainable collaborations with partners who share the same ambition. Thanks to the support of HELIOS Foundation, our researchers can delve into a socially particularly urgent challenge and develop solutions that benefit employees, organisations and society."
With the launch of the chair, the VUB and HELIOS Foundation confirm their joint ambition to use scientific research for one of the major societal challenges of our time: strengthening mental well-being at work and building healthy, inclusive and sustainable careers.
Tineke Sonck
