Burnout: A Systemic Issue, Not a Personal Problem

🧠 Mental health in the Dutch workplace: a silent alarm is ringing. In 2025, Dutch workers are taking an average of 28 days of sick leave, according to occupational health provider Arbo Unie. That’s up from 24 days in 2022 — and if the trend continues, experts warn we could reach two months within a decade. This isn’t just about burnout. It’s about the invisible weight of modern life: 🏃♂️ Stay fit 🍽️ Eat healthy 👨👩👧👦 Be present for your family 💼 Advance professionally 📱 Stay socially connected All at once. As Dr. Corné Roelen explains: “We have too much to do. Society expects us to be everything, all at once.” 📊 The most affected groups include: - Young professionals aged 25–35 with children - Employees navigating high expectations and limited recovery time - Teams without psychological safety or space to breathe Even physical illnesses are lasting longer — worsened by dry indoor air and weakened immune systems. 🔄 So what’s being done? Dutch employers are responding with: - 🧘♀️ Mental health programs and burnout prevention workshops - 🕰️ Flexible schedules and remote work options - 🔄 Reintegration plans and alternative tasks during recovery 💼 HR teams are also rethinking hiring strategies: - Offering more realistic job packages that prioritize wellbeing over prestige - Improving bids not just in salary, but in culture, flexibility, and support - Screening for resilience and team fit, not just hard skills 🧩 So what does this mean for the future of work? Perhaps we’re not facing a fragile generation — but a fragile system. One that rewards constant availability, glorifies overcommitment, and treats recovery as weakness. If sick leave is rising, it’s not just a health issue. It’s a cultural signal. A sign that our definitions of “resilience,” “performance,” and “success” need to evolve. 📌 The challenge isn’t just to reduce sick days. It’s to build environments where people don’t have to break down to be heard. Where wellbeing isn’t a perk — but a prerequisite. This isn’t about coping better. It’s about designing better. #MentalHealth #DutchWorkCulture #TeamWellbeing #HospitalityLeadership #BurnoutPrevention #WorkplaceWellness #LeadershipMatters #FutureOfWork Sources: Tierras Holandesas article

#OccupationalMedicineUnfiltered 🌐 Post 1 — Why Workplace Mental Health Became the Defining Systems Failure The workplace mental health crisis didn’t appear out of nowhere — it’s the predictable result of systems that forgot they were designed for humans, not machines. In recent years, workplace mental health has emerged as the fault line revealing the fragility of our modern work systems. This is not a sudden discovery — it’s the cumulative result of decades of structural change in how we work, lead, and measure value. From an Occupational Medicine systems perspective, the rise in psychosocial illness is not about individuals being “less resilient.” It reflects organizational architectures that have drifted away from human design limits. When production systems demand continuous availability, surveillance-based metrics, and cost-driven restructuring, the psychosocial load exceeds the worker’s adaptive capacity. These are not “wellness problems” — they are systems design failures. 📉 The transformation of the workplace into a cognitively dense, emotionally taxing, and digitally tethered environment has shifted the dominant hazards from physical to psychosocial.    •   Physical injuries once defined our safety programs.    •   Now, it’s chronic stress, moral injury, presenteeism, and disengagement that define the new risk landscape. Research confirms this shift: psychosocial hazards now surpass traditional physical and chemical risks in their impact on worker health, disability, and economic burden (Schulte et al., AJIM, 2024). Yet most organizational responses remain rooted in individualized wellness programs — yoga sessions, mindfulness apps, and resilience training — that do little to address the causes of harm. American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine Society of Occupational Medicine OMSOC Occupational Medicine Specialists Canada Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA) #OccupationalMedicine #WorkplaceMentalHealth #SystemsThinking #PsychosocialHazards #EmployeeWellbeing #PublicHealth

New Report Launch: Health at Work Report 2025 Sickness absence is on the rise – but so is the opportunity for employers to make a real impact. Our latest Health at Work Report explores how rising stress, financial pressures, and workplace demands are taking a toll on employees – and how proactive support can not only reduce sickness absence but make employees more productive and loyal. Among the more concerning trends this year: • Younger employees are turning to unproven AI wellbeing tools • 1 in 7 employees has increased their use of drugs or alcohol to cope with stress • 2 in 5 report sleep difficulties linked to workplace pressure Meanwhile,57% want access to mental health counselling, but only 22% currently have it — and just 11% used it in the past year. Download the report to uncover: • What’s undermining employee wellbeing across age groups • Why proactive support leads to better health and productivity • Five practical recommendations every employer should be using Download the Health at Work Report 2025 here https://lnkd.in/eef2huxR Join EAPA UK Ltd Chair, Karl Bennett, and PAM Group’s David Umpleby FIEP and Nicola Jagielski as they discuss the key findings and recommendations from this year’s Health at Work Report at 9.30am on Tuesday 28 October. You can register here https://lnkd.in/eBxsC_tC #HealthAtWork2025 #EmployeeWellbeing #MentalHealth #WorkplaceTrends #HRInsights #FutureOfWork #AIWellbeing #PAMGroup

Organizations play a pivotal role in shaping the mental health landscape by implementing initiatives that support employee well-being. These initiatives not only benefit individual employees but also contribute to the overall health of the community. By promoting mental health awareness and providing support systems, companies can create a culture of care that extends beyond the workplace. While mental health is the primary focus, integrating physical health initiatives complements overall well-being. Programs that encourage physical activity, such as wellness challenges or access to fitness facilities, contribute to both mental and physical health, embodying the essence of mens sana in corpore sano. Stuward allows companies to measure the impact of mental health initiatives across teams, share insights with management, and build a stronger, healthier organizational culture. http://www.stuward.com/ #MensSanaInCorporeSano #MentalHealthEurope #WorkplaceWellbeing #EmployeeWellbeing #HRTech #PeopleAnalytics #EuropeanWorkplace #WellbeingStrategy #ProactiveCare #PsychologicalSafety #HealthyWorkplace #HRLeadership #WorkplaceInnovation #EmployeeSupport #CorporateWellness #OrganisationalHealth #ResilientTeams #DigitalWellbeing #WorkplaceCulture #Stuward Sources: • Mental Health Europe. (2025). Work and Employment. Retrieved from https://lnkd.in/daktRtFx • Eurofound. (2020). Working conditions in the European Union: Mental health and wellbeing. Retrieved from https://lnkd.in/d86sMKRt

It's been one month since we launched our Health and Wellbeing at Work Report, supported by Simplyhealth 🌱 In that time, organisations have been reflecting on its findings and exploring new ways to tackle record absence levels and growing pressures on employee health. The report highlights both challenges and opportunities: sickness absence has risen to a decade high, but more organisations are investing in wellbeing strategies and gaining stronger engagement from leaders and line managers. With practical steps to improve mental health support, address stress and create healthier ways of working, there is plenty for employers to act on. Which insights have you started to put into practice in your workplace? Share your experiences in the comments 💬 Download the full report for more guidance 👉 https://ow.ly/GfMK50WQhn7 #HealthAndWellbeing #FutureOfWork #Simplyhealth #CIPD #Simplyhealth

This year, our client Simplyhealth once again sponsored the CIPD's annual Health and Wellbeing at Work report.  The findings shed light on the state of workplace health in the UK: absence levels have climbed from 5.8 days on average before the pandemic, to 9.4 days in the past year, and the leading cause of long-term absence is mental ill health (41%). It also highlights the important role that employers play in supporting workers with health challenges. Paul Schreier, CEO of Simplyhealth, notes: “By offering preventative care through easy-to-access health benefits that target the key drivers of absence – mental ill health, musculoskeletal issues and minor illnesses – employees are able to seek support early, before symptoms escalate.” This World Mental Health Day, read more report insights in People Management magazine: https://lnkd.in/ejyunkMa

Beyond Tick-Box Wellbeing: Time to Treat the Root Cause I’ve just completed my first three-day intensive with the National College for Integrative Medicine (NCIM), where I’m studying Integrated Medicine — exploring how natural and evidence-based approaches can strengthen mental, physical, and emotional health. As both a health practitioner and leadership trainer, I believe organisations can do far more to create cultures of genuine wellbeing, that actually don't cost very much, but produce much. Too often, we focus on the symptoms — mental health first aiders, menopause policies, resilience workshops — without addressing what’s causing stress, burnout, and disconnection in the first place. What if we took an integrative approach to organisational health — one that connects leadership, purpose, environment, and community? Research supports this shift: - Gallup (2024) found that employees with high wellbeing are five times more likely to be engaged. - HBR reports that psychological safety fuels innovation and retention. - And the WHO confirms that healthy workplaces boost morale and reduce absenteeism. Real wellbeing isn’t a programme — it’s a culture. It’s time to move beyond symptom management and start addressing the root cause by designing systems that help people — and organisations — thrive. #wellbeing #leadership #health #culture #morale #absenteeism

Understanding Contamination OCD in the Workplace: A Guide for Employers and HR Professionals Contamination OCD affects approximately 1-2% of the population and can significantly impact workplace productivity and employee wellbeing. As mental health awareness grows, it's important for organizations to understand this condition and provide appropriate support. What is Contamination OCD? Contamination OCD involves intrusive thoughts about germs, dirt, or illness, coupled with compulsive behaviors like excessive hand washing or cleaning. Unlike general anxiety about hygiene, OCD symptoms: 👉Consume more than 1 hour daily 👉Significantly impair work performance 👉Create distress disproportionate to actual risk 👉Don't respond to reassurance Workplace Impact: Employees with contamination OCD may struggle with: 👉Avoiding shared spaces (kitchens, bathrooms, meeting rooms) 👉Difficulty concentrating due to intrusive thoughts 👉Time lost to compulsive behaviors 👉Increased absenteeism How Organizations Can Help: ✅ Provide flexible work arrangements when needed ✅ Ensure access to mental health resources and EAP services ✅ Educate managers on mental health conditions ✅ Create stigma-free environments for seeking help ✅ Reasonable accommodations during treatment The Good News: With evidence-based treatment like Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy, 75% of people with contamination OCD experience significant improvement. Early intervention and workplace support can make a substantial difference. At Potentialz Psychology, we work with organizations across the Hills District to provide mental health support, including specialized OCD treatment. If you'd like to learn more about supporting employees with OCD or other mental health conditions, we're here to help. #MentalHealthAtWork #WorkplaceWellbeing #OCDAwareness #EmployeeSupport #HRProfessionals #MentalHealthMatters #PsychologicalSafety #WorkplaceAccommodations #BellaVistaBusiness https://wix.to/19Dlt1r

Mental health care stigma is a barrier to employee wellness: This is how you can dismantle it: Nearly 60% say stigma stops people from getting help. Employers can lead the way to change. http://dlvr.it/TNvYgL

📢 Out now: Health at Work Report 2025 📈 Sickness absence is rising, but so is the opportunity for employers to make a lasting difference. Our new Health at Work Report 2025 reveals how increasing stress, financial pressures and workplace demands are affecting employee wellbeing, and how proactive support can help build healthier, more resilient teams. 📊 Key findings include: • Younger employees turning to unproven AI wellbeing tools • 1 in 7 employees using drugs or alcohol to cope with stress • 2 in 5 experiencing sleep difficulties linked to workplace pressure • 57% want access to mental health counselling, but only 22% currently have it The report explores what’s driving these challenges and outlines five practical steps every employer can take to reduce absence, improve engagement and boost productivity. 👉 Download your free copy at: https://lnkd.in/eef2huxR Don’t miss our panel discussion at 9:30am on Tuesday 28 October, with EAPA UK Ltd Chair, Karl Bennett, and PAM Group’s David Umpleby FIEP and Nicola Jagielski as they discuss the key findings and recommendations from this year’s Health at Work Report. 📌 Register here: https://lnkd.in/eBxsC_tC #HealthAtWork2025 #EmployeeWellbeing #MentalHealth #PAMGroup #SicknessAbsence