Margot Joosen about the building blocks for a mentally healthy workplace

Knowledge Snacks 4 min. Simone Schuilwerve

In no fewer than 1 in 3 cases of long-term absenteeism, the cause lies in mental health issues. Employees who are absent due to mental health problems are often out of action for a long time: on average 53 days. Although these problems do not always originate in the workplace, employers can indeed contribute to the mental resilience of their employees and perhaps prevent long-term absenteeism due to mental health issues.

In the video series Wanted: Mentally Healthy Workplace, former speed skater, Olympic speed skating champion, and experienced expert Stefan Groothuis searches for building blocks for a mentally healthy workplace. He aims to inspire and inform employers and managers about what they can do to create a mentally healthy workplace and thus gain more control over absenteeism due to mental health issues.

'The openness dilemma'

He begins his quest in science. The research team Work & Health, Tranzo, of Tilburg University conducts extensive research on the relationship between work and mental health and connects science and practice in the field of care and welfare. Margot Joosen, senior researcher and passionate research leader at Tranzo, is asked about the building blocks for a mentally healthy workplace that emerge from science. Such as the openness dilemma: is it wise to be open about your mental vulnerability in a work situation? Also, the crucial role of the manager in terms of employees' mental health is discussed and why doing valuable work is important for both the employee and the employer.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to keeping people healthy and engaged at work
Margot Joosen

Margot Joosen: "There is no one-size-fits-all approach to keeping people healthy and engaged at work. Customization is important: different individuals find different things important in their work and therefore need different things to remain healthy and engaged at work."

Research among managers

"We conducted research among a representative group of managers. It turned out that 64% of those managers prefer not to hire people with mental problems. A third even indicates that they also prefer not to hire someone who has had mental health problems in the past. Even if you have recovered and are functioning well again, there is still a label attached: a stigma. And that is very worrying, for both these individuals and for society. Because research also shows that half of all Dutch people will experience mental health problems at some point in their lives. It is important that everyone can remain part of society."

Tip: In settings, you can choose English subtitles.