- Engineering & architecture
Evolta cut sickness absence by 35%
At Evolta, mental wellbeing grew from separate actions into a deliberate choice that is anchored in the culture, with figures that confirm it.
In a nutshell
- 100+
- Employees
- employees in a people-centred organization
- 3% → <2%
- Less absence
- sickness absence after one year of BloomUp
- 6.85
- Happiness score
- on the monthly happiness barometer, up from just above 6
- < 70
- Fewer short absences
- Bradford Factor, well below the benchmark of 100
- Company profile
- Belgian engineering and architecture firm with a people-centred vision.
- More than 100 employees.
- Wellbeing and development as strategic pillars.
- Challenges
- A focus on wellbeing, but mostly ad hoc initiatives.
- Employees found it hard to take the step towards help themselves.
- Need for a structural wellbeing policy with accessible, continuous support.
- Process & implementation
- A positive earlier experience with BloomUp gave confidence.
- BloomUp integrated into onboarding, training and evaluations.
- Communication through the intranet and regular reminders.
- Collaboration with prevention service Mediwet strengthens the approach.
- Impact
- Sickness absence down by more than 1 percentage point.
- Happiness score on track for a lasting increase.
- Positive stories and word-of-mouth recommendations.
- Higher retention thanks to recognition of mental needs.
Company profile
Evolta is a Belgian engineering and architecture firm with several offices in Belgium. The organization stands out for its technical expertise and also for a distinctly people-centred vision. That vision rests on three clear pillars: a world in balance, happy employees who keep developing and sustainable organizations on the move.
These values are actively translated into HR policy. Evolta firmly believes that employees can only truly grow and contribute when they feel well, both professionally and mentally. Wellbeing is therefore a structural and strategic part of the organization rather than a one-off initiative.
The HR department has four staff. Alongside recruitment and employer branding, the team also takes on wellbeing as a shared responsibility. That means wellbeing does not depend on one person, but is embedded in the entire employee journey.
“BloomUp helps us make wellbeing tangible. Employees feel there is something they can always fall back on.”
Wim WaterschootTalent Director · Evolta
Challenges
Although Evolta had paid attention to mental wellbeing for several years, this initially happened in a loose, rather ad hoc way. There were intervision sessions, working groups on physical activity and occasional referrals to the external prevention service Mediwet. But it lacked coherence, accessibility and continuity.
Many actions depended on employees' willingness to raise their hand themselves, which was a big hurdle for many. There was a growing awareness that the wellbeing policy needed to be anchored more firmly, and that a structural solution was needed that was both professional and low-threshold.
Evolta also wanted to give employees more ways to seek help with personal matters, without it having to go through HR or creating extra admin. In short, wellbeing had to become an integrated, flexible and confidential project.
Process & implementation
The partnership with BloomUp grew out of an earlier positive experience the Talent Director had with a previous employer. That trust led to a quick and confident start. BloomUp was introduced during an introductory session and is now part of the onboarding moments. BloomUp is also included in the internal training offering and in the evaluation and growth cycle.
The external prevention service Mediwet was also deliberately involved as a third partner in the process. Thanks to that triangle of HR, BloomUp and Mediwet, a holistic approach emerged in which prevention, wellbeing and personal guidance go hand in hand.
Communication ran through the intranet, internal newsletters, regular reminders and posters in the office. So BloomUp did not become a passive tool in the background, but an active resource that people were regularly pointed to. The combination of scientific grounding, ease of use, freedom of choice and discretion clearly struck a chord.
Impact
After one year of use, the effects are clearly visible. The most tangible impact shows in the figures: sickness absence fell from around 3% to below 2%. The happiness barometer, which employees fill in every month, also rose from just above 6 to 6.85. Evolta aims for a minimum score of 7, a realistic target given the current trend.
The Bradford Factor also improved significantly. This measure, which detects short and frequent absenteeism, fell to a score below 70, well below the benchmark value of 100. That suggests not only fewer absences but also less fragmented absence, which is often a sign of a healthier mental balance within teams.
Beyond these figures, there are clear signs of cultural impact. Employees talk openly about their use of BloomUp, recommend it to colleagues on their own initiative and see it as a sign of recognition from the organization. Managers refer people proactively. Retention is also positively affected: some employees say explicitly that they stay at Evolta because they feel supported, including at times when things are hard.
Evolta shows that mental wellbeing does not have to be an afterthought and can become a lever for sustainable growth. By choosing an integrated partnership with BloomUp, its policy evolved from separate actions into a shared wellbeing culture. The figures speak for themselves: less absence, more engagement and a clear rise in mental wellbeing. Above all, employees feel truly supported, both professionally and personally.
