Quarter of Belgian executives would not hire employees with mental health problems
More and more companies are starting to pay attention to the mental health of their employees. Yet almost half (48%) of Belgian executives believe that employees with mental health problems can bring their colleagues down emotionally. That's according to new research from Antwerp Management School. Moreover, a quarter of them (24%) would not hire someone with a history of mental health problems.
by Eva Geluk
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From fruit subscriptions and yoga classes to afterwork drinks, initiatives designed to promote mental well-being in the workplace are popping up much more frequently. Whether they have much effect remains to be seen. The current situation is not rosy, by any means. In a large-scale survey by Antwerp Management School, 28% of the respondents have suffered from stress-related disorders in their lifetime, 21% from depression, 19% from burnout and 17% from anxiety. At the same time, 53% of employees are unable or afraid to discuss their mental health problems with their managers.
Insufficient knowledge and support
Managers play a crucial role in promoting mental well-being in the workplace. Although 80% of them are willing to make adjustments where possible, the majority struggle with dealing with employees who experience mental health problems. 54% report having insufficient knowledge to provide support and 44% do not feel competent enough.
Part of the problem possibly lies with the organization itself. Nearly four in ten (37%) executives do not feel supported by their organization to help employees with mental health problems. In addition, 40% have never received any form of psychological support, coaching or lectures on prevention, while 70% have never received training. Yet six in ten executives do acknowledge that it is their responsibility to support their employees.
Mental health is seen as a risk to the organization
So managers want to support employees with mental health problems and meet their needs, but lack concrete tools to get started. As many as 57% find it stressful to work with employees who have mental problems.
Moreover, nearly half (46%) of managers consider these employees a risk to the organization and fear that they could emotionally burden their colleagues (48%). A quarter of managers would not have even hired these individuals if they had known about their mental problems in advance, and 7% are even actively trying to get rid of them.
Perception differences cause mental problems at work
The study also shows that executives see different causes for mental health problems than employees do. According to executives, the main cause why someone drops out with mental health problems is a private issue, caused by family situations. They also consider “employees wanting too much in life” a top cause, which is not reflected by the employees themselves. Employees perceive the workload and pressure as the biggest problem.
Executives
Employees
Stakeholders
Private causes (family situations)
64%
Workload
69%
Workload
70%
Workload
62%
Leadership qualities of executives
49%
Leadership qualities of executives
64%
Work-life balance
47%
Work-life balance
46%
Private causes (family situations)
64%
Private causes like predisposition and personality
46%
Private causes (family situations)
44%
Work-life balance
56%
Leadership qualities of executives
40%
Workplace conflicts
38%
Mismatch in employee talents and their actual tasks
49%
Workplace conflicts
40%
Private causes like predisposition and personality
34%
Workplace conflicts
48%
Work environment
33%
Too much bureaucracy/admin at work
33%
The (role) ambiguity at work
45%
Employees wanting too much in life
33%
Work environment
31%
Communication culture within the team
41%
Too much bureaucracy/admin at work
31%
Communication culture within the organisation
29%
Emotional demands in the workplace
41%
Mismatch in employee talents and their actual tasks
30%
Mismatch in employee talents and their actual tasks
29%
Work environment
41%
Table 1. Main causes of someone dropping out due to mental reasons, according to managers, employees and stakeholders (people in hr, prevention and welfare functions).
Prevention
Mental well-being at work is clearly not evident. Moreover, prevention is still mainly viewed as a necessary intervention when things go wrong, but by then it's actually too late. You have to prevent it, which requires more than a weekly fruit basket. It is striking that employees see workload as the biggest problem, but managers do not put reducing it in their top 10 preventive actions.
—
Eva Geluk, senior researcher Next Generation Work
At the same time, the study shows that executives who think less stigmatizing take more preventive actions. “Creating a psychologically safe environment where employees feel free to talk about their problems requires cooperation on multiple levels. Their decision to talk depends on their assessment of possible positive or negative consequences. The connection with the supervisor plays an important role here, as does the support of the organization itself,” concludes Eva Geluk.
The large-scale survey was conducted by Antwerp Management School, under the direction of senior researcher Eva Geluk and in collaboration with bpost, Baloise and B-tonic. 2,428 respondents were surveyed, specifically 755 executives, 1,397 employees and 276 hr, prevention and welfare professionals. The survey was supplemented by qualitative research of interviews and focus groups with 56 executives. The survey ran from June 2023 to March 2024.
