Well-being at the workplace left behind in Belgian companies.

Can do better !. It is the general appreciation harvested by Belgian companies in preventive policy on physical and mental well-being at the workplace. This is a survey of HR Acerta, HR Square and Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). A survey conducted by public and private actors at the end of January and published early this month. It appears that only 43% make efforts in this area. A disturbing figure at a time when the subject becomes a priority, sanitary crisis requires. Mental health becomes fragile. How can one explain such a deficiency and especially what might be the risks? Explanations and decryption of a survey that leaves perplexed.

Physical and mental well-being absent from corporate policies

Nearly a fifth (18%) of the companies surveyed admits not yet undertake concrete actions to improve the well-being of its workers. A study conducted more than 8 months after the beginning of the health crisis. Which has obviously not evolve mentalities. Little reason of hope, almost all the structures surveyed declare to give it great importance.

Even among companies making efforts in the field, they are not part of a global policy. Indeed, 39% of the companies surveyed report only make temporary or limited efforts to improve the well-being of their collaborators. For Benoît Caufriese, Director of Acerta Consult, this kind of policy leads only to a temporary purchase of social peace. According to him, workers do not consider this kind of intervention as a well-being policy.

“We thought the coronavirus crisis would give an accelerator, but that does not seem to be the case for now,” he says. It seems indeed that Belgian companies are still in “survival” mode since the beginning of the pandemic. They use their energy to keep at the present moment and currently can not consider the future. A future that will be impacted by the new sanitary measures.

The physical and mental well-being in the workplace, a question that will become central

All studies show it: the workforce and especially the managers suffer since the beginning of the health crisis. Ségolène Arzalier-Daret, anesthetist-resuscitation and co-administrator of the Observatory of Suffering at work, alerted recently on the subject. Quite incomprehensible thing, 96% of companies surveyed recognize being aware of the problem. For 2 years, the share of the latter considering well-being as “very important” still doubled to increase from 32 to 67%.

Yet (this survey is not short on paradoxes) bosses recognize the almost total absence of prevention policy in the field. Nor political or monitoring or improvement. Nearly a third of them (32%) say that efforts to improve the well-being of their staff rests purely on their intuition. They do not practice no less than follow up. A follow-up that companies seem to replace autostatisfaction. Indeed, nearly 50% of companies say that their prevention actions are well perceived by employees. Only 20% of companies can justify follow-up and 25% have nothing to say when they are talking about the subject.

Belgian companies do not see for the moment the benefits of a preventive policy. A policy placing the physical and mental well-being of employees at the HR policy center. While on the other side, the pandemic has increased the fragility of employees on the subject. And if, in view of the stakes, the policy of well-being at work did not become public? Case to follow …