Antwerp Management School and Waldon join forces to embed sustainable wellbeing in the workplace
by Kathleen Vangronsvelt
| September 22, 2026
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Antwerp, 22 September 2026 – Antwerp Management School and Waldon are launching a strategic partnership focused on workplace wellbeing. Waldon will become a Foundation Partner of Antwerp Management School’s Competence Centre Next Generation Work, joining its ongoing research into effective wellbeing policies. Organisations such as Elia and Pidpa are also involved as research partners. Together, they will build on previous research into effective wellbeing policies and, from 2026 to 2029, investigate how organisations can successfully implement such policies and embed them sustainably in the workplace.
Organisations are increasingly investing in the wellbeing of their employees. Yet, in practice, the impact of these efforts often remains limited. A policy may be well-founded on paper, but it only creates value when it is consistently implemented and employees actually experience its impact.
That is why the new research focuses on the so-called intention–implementation–perception gap: the difference between what organisations intend to achieve through their wellbeing policies, what ultimately happens in practice, and how employees experience and perceive those policies.
From wellbeing policy on paper to impact in practice
In an earlier research cycle, Antwerp Management School developed an evidence-based methodology that enables organisations to build a tailored wellbeing policy. The new three-year research phase focuses on implementation: what barriers do organisations encounter when rolling out their policies? Which factors make the difference? And how can a wellbeing policy become sustainably embedded in day-to-day operations?
To answer these questions, the researchers will combine insights from academic literature with experiences from practice. Based on these insights, they will develop and test a methodology that helps organisations bridge the gap between policy intentions and concrete implementation.
A wellbeing policy should not remain limited to good intentions or isolated initiatives. The crucial question is how organisations can ensure that their policy genuinely connects with the reality of employees and managers. Through this follow-up research, we want to gain a better understanding of what successful implementation requires and translate that knowledge into an approach that organisations can put into practice.
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prof. dr. Kathleen Vangronsvelt, Antwerp Management School.
Translating scientific knowledge into practical services
Waldon, a subsidiary of AG Insurance that supports organisations in assessing and improving workplace wellbeing, endorses Antwerp Management School’s methodology and will integrate it into its own wellbeing surveys and services for organisations. In doing so, Waldon aims to translate scientifically grounded insights into practical tools for employers seeking to take a structural approach to wellbeing.
A tangible component of the collaboration is The Matrix Assistant. This AI-powered assistant first supports organisations in analysing their current situation and then helps them apply the methodology to develop a wellbeing policy. At its core is a matrix framework that enables organisations to systematically examine causes, wellbeing and consequences within their specific context.
Organisations need more than a measurement or general advice. They are looking for guidance that helps them embed wellbeing sustainably into the way they operate. By combining our practical experience with the scientific expertise of Antwerp Management School, we can support organisations in a more targeted way: from insight to action, and from action to demonstrable impact.
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Eva Deschans, CEO of Waldon
In addition to its role in the research, Waldon will also take on a structural role as a service partner. The collaboration aims to ensure that the insights generated by the research are not only shared, but can also be widely applied across organisations.
Corporate Membership Network
Through the partnership, Waldon will also join Antwerp Management School’s Corporate Membership Network, an open network of organisations including CM, SD Worx, Aquafin and the City of Antwerp, focused on knowledge sharing, innovation and practice-oriented research.
As a Foundation Partner of the Competence Centre Next Generation Work, Waldon will contribute to the exchange between academic expertise and the needs of organisations in the workplace.
The research findings will be shared throughout the partnership through publications, knowledge-sharing sessions and a white paper.
About Antwerp Management School
For more than 65 years, Antwerp Management School has focused on creating value for organisations and businesses by driving the sustainable transformation of individuals, teams and organisations from a global perspective. Through its high-quality management education and research, the school provides a strong impetus to economic and socio-economic activity in Belgium and beyond.
Around 70 faculty members inspire 900 students each year across our Master’s and PhD programmes and executive education offerings. In addition, we welcome 3,000 professionals through B2B solutions and events. The school is known for its personal approach, which is highly valued by more than 26,000 alumni from 96 different countries.
Waldon is a Belgian workplace wellbeing expert that helps organisations structurally improve employee wellbeing. Through a scientifically grounded Measure–Plan–Act approach, the company supports HR teams in measuring, analysing and activating their wellbeing policies.
Waldon focuses on creating sustainable impact on workplace wellbeing within organisations. Waldon was established in 2019 as a subsidiary of AG Insurance.
