Wellbeing in the workplace: a holistic approach

Long-term sickness absence and its causes

Between 2008 and 2022, the number of people on long-term sick leave doubled to more than 500,000. For 37% of these people, the cause lay in the psychosocial sphere, and 2/3 of this 37% was due to burnout or depression. Although in the past causes were often sought in the personal sphere, only 20-30% of dropout turns out to lie exclusively in the personal sphere.

This also means that 70-80% of the possible causes of dropout are to some extent work-related. That is why it is important to look at the work context of these people too. Companies can focus more strongly on these work-related factors to support their employees and prevent dropout. They can do this by focusing on two pillars: the organization's wellbeing policy and the role of managers.

Wellbeing in four pillars: the IGLO model

The IGLO model by Karina Nielssen et al. (2018) is a useful tool for looking at wellbeing in the workplace. This model looks at four levels that have an impact on wellbeing:

• I = Individual (i.e. the individual)
• G = Group (i.e. the team)
• L = Leadership (i.e. the managers)
• O = Organization (i.e. the organization)

In the past, the focus was often purely on the individual, but paying attention to the three other pillars has a better effect because you then work on several levels.

You can also approach wellbeing more broadly and holistically, beyond the IGLO model. The four pillars are: physical wellbeing, mental wellbeing, financial wellbeing and social wellbeing. For 'mental' wellbeing, we look at the impact of job satisfaction as well as that of self-realization and self-development.

Barriers for managers

Managers play a crucial role in promoting wellbeing in the workplace, but they run into various barriers that make their efforts harder. One of the biggest challenges is a lack of knowledge about wellbeing-related topics such as burnout, which makes it hard for them to offer effective support. Managers can also feel unsure about their competence to deal with these topics and support their team. They need practical support from the organization, and emotional support too, so that they can handle these responsibilities better themselves. Their own wellbeing is an important factor here; stress and personal challenges can limit their capacity to care for others.

On top of that, wellbeing topics are often held back by the stigma surrounding them, both in society and within the organization, which makes open communication harder. Company culture plays a crucial role here. A psychologically unsafe climate can mean that policy exists only on paper, without being applied in practice. It is essential that the organization creates a culture in which psychological safety is guaranteed, so that wellbeing policy can be implemented effectively and managers get the support they need to guide their teams well.

BloomUp as support for a holistic approach

If we follow the IGLO model above, we see that BloomUp is very strong on the 'Individual' pillar. On the one hand by offering self-help and online therapy to employees who need it, and on the other hand to those who are interested in these topics and open to personal development.

BloomUp's Customer Success team also invests heavily in both the 'Team' and 'Organization' pillars. It does so by involving a broader group of stakeholders in the rollout of BloomUp within the organization (union representatives, management, confidential advisers, prevention advisers, managers...), and also by communicating with the organization regularly (for example through newsletters) to share knowledge on mental wellbeing. BloomUp can also help organize events (such as workshops) to make mental wellbeing easier to talk about.

Finally, for the 'Managers' pillar, specific e-learning modules offer support. The new module on 'Supportive leadership', for example, teaches managers to focus on the team and support it as well as possible, so the team can reach its objectives as well and as efficiently as possible. Other e-learning modules can also be viewed from a manager's point of view. Think of the module 'Burnout' or 'Dealing with stress'. Managers can benefit from these themselves, but can also follow them 'preventively' to better understand how their team members end up in this situation, what impact it has on them and how they can support their employees better.

Finally: create a holistic wellbeing policy

In the end, wellbeing in the workplace can only be promoted if all levels of the organization are addressed. By taking a holistic approach, organizations can create an environment in which employees feel supported and understood, which leads to a more productive and healthier working environment. Do you want to set up your own holistic wellbeing policy within your organization? At BloomUp, we have the experience to support you in carrying out (part of) such a policy. Feel free to talk to someone from our team, with no obligation, and find out together how we can support your organization in promoting wellbeing at work.