Icon info
EN
NL
https://www.antwerpmanagementschool.be/en
Home
https://www.antwerpmanagementschool.be/en/faculty
Faculty
https://www.antwerpmanagementschool.be/en/faculty/eva-geluk
Eva Geluk
Geluk Eva web

Eva Geluk

Function Professor of Mental Health at Work at Antwerp Management School
Email eva.geluk@ams.ac.be
Phone +32 477 09 35 16

Expertise

  • Stress, burn-out prevention and re-integration (also absenteeism)
  • Mental health in the workplace
  • Resilience and engagement
  • Intervention
  • Research within mental health in the workplace
  • Jobdesign

References

  • Bpost
  • B-Tonic
  • Certimed
  • ESF
  • Mensura
  • VSEB
  • Vlaamse overheid


Eva Geluk is Professor of Mental Health at Work at Antwerp Management School. Her work focuses on how organizations can prevent work-related mental health problems and support people in returning to work sustainably after burnout and other mental health challenges. A central question in her research is how organizations can move from knowing what matters to actually putting it into practice in everyday work. 

She works closely with organizations, managers, employees and prevention professionals to design, test and improve practical approaches that fit real working contexts. Her work brings together occupational health, work design and organizational change, with particular attention to prevention, early intervention and reintegration. Through applied research partnerships, she develops and evaluates tools, training programmes and experimental approaches that help organizations turn insights about mental health at work into concrete action.

Eva also brings broad experience in applied research, organizational development and collaboration with companies. Before focusing on mental health at work, she led the Knowledge Centre on Sustainable Business at Antwerp Management School, which she developed over seven years into a strong research centre with two chairs, a team of researchers and partnerships across the private, public and non-profit sectors.

Earlier in her career, she worked internationally for nine years as an advisor and consultant for large organizations and multinationals. This background helps her look broadly at complex organizational challenges and translate research into value for organizations and society. Eva is also a certified executive coach, with extensive experience in executive coaching and leadership coaching from a neuroscience-informed perspective.

 

Programs

Discover our programs

Recent publications

AMS burn out jongeren

Burned out before 30? Here’s how to keep young talent on board

The number of twenty-somethings struggling with burnout or depression is rising. What’s driving this increase, and how can organizations prevent mental health breakdowns?
Geluk Eva web
Eva Geluk
People & organization
Shutterstock 344201303

How bpost uses science to create a better work environment

The pandemic brought a new insight: appreciation works. The Well-being Works research chair provides bpost with the tools to foster greater employee engagement.
Geluk Eva web
Eva Geluk
People & organization
Shutterstock 1530452792

Is mental well-being still a taboo in the workplace?

Discover how workplace taboos around mental well-being can be broken and the crucial role that empathetic leadership plays in this process.
Geluk Eva web
Eva Geluk
People & organization
AMS whitepaper rol leidinggevenden absenteisme preventie cover

Mental health in the workplace: The role of managers in absenteeism prevention.

Geluk Eva web
Eva Geluk
People & organization
Wellbeing leaders

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.
Geluk Eva web
Eva Geluk
People & organization
Werkcontext welzijn op het werk werkgever

How can I, as an employer, determine what is truly effective for workplace well-being?

Four domains influence employee well-being: societal context, private context, personality factors, and work context. Employers can primarily influence the work context, which encompasses energy, essential needs, potential, and reciprocity. This provides opportunities to enhance employee well-being by reducing adverse factors and creating stimulating environments.
Kathleen Vangronsvelt LR
Kathleen Vangronsvelt
People & organization

1 in 3 people come to work sick. What message are you giving your employees?

Don’t want your employees to come to work sick? Then check your organization’s absenteeism culture: what (implicit) message are you giving your employees about being sick and working?
Kathleen Vangronsvelt LR
Kathleen Vangronsvelt
People & organization
Re inteagratie na burn out whitepaper cover

Co-crafting for a successful return to work after burnout.

Geluk Eva web
Eva Geluk
People & organization
Wellbeing works leidinggevenden

Consciousness, Education, and Policy: three keys to mental health prevention

Employers are experiencing increased absenteeism due to mental health issues among employees. Research points to the pivotal role of managers in prevention and dealing with these problems. The project 'Wellbeing Works,' led by Eva Geluk and Kathleen Vangronsvelt of Antwerp Management School in collaboration with partners Bpost and B-Tonic (a subsidiary of Baloise), focuses on empowering managers and providing solutions. Blogs will share practical insights regarding needs, barriers, and potential resources.
Geluk Eva web
Eva Geluk
People & organization
Wellbeing impact

Only 4 out of 10 employees find work pressure reasonable.

Since the pandemic, we have been looking at work differently. Job satisfaction and work pressure are receiving increasing attention, as evidenced by research from Antwerp Management School. At the same time, the survey highlights differences in the perception of what employers and employees consider as reasons for stress-related absenteeism.
Kathleen Vangronsvelt LR
Kathleen Vangronsvelt
People & organization
Kaartenset

Re-integration after burnout

Belgium is heading for half a million long-term sick people. In one in three, mental health problems, including burnout, are the cause. Remarkably, half of the people who had a burnout are afraid of relapse. Not without reason, as one in four of those who return to work effectively relapse. The direct and indirect costs to society, the employer and the individual are therefore high. Where do things go wrong? And how can employers, HR practitioners and consultants address it better? The topic of this webinar zooms in on this. More specifically on the findings from the training course Re-Set: reintegration after burnout, which contains a complete step-by-step plan to tackle work resumption in a sustainable way. Both for the returning employee, as well as employer and managers. Its knowledge can also be used to prevent burnout. (This webinar is in Dutch.)
Geluk Eva web
Eva Geluk
People & organization
Mental health 2 1

4 mechanisms that play a role in absenteeism

Absenteeism is defined as a "failure to show up for scheduled work" (Johns, 1997). Whether involuntary or voluntary, legitimized or not, white or black or grey… Many researchers don't make the difference. The line is often thin, and as a manager or HR professional, you will rarely know for sure. That is why it is important to always keep a dual focus: a focus on health promotion and illness prevention (~involuntary absence) and a focus on employee motivation and mindset (~voluntary absence) (Lokke, 2022). Image credit: Total Shape
Kathleen Vangronsvelt LR
Kathleen Vangronsvelt
People & organization
Mental health 1

Preventing sick leave, burnout and psychosocial distress in the workplace: what does work?

Over the past decades, the focus on mental well-being in the workplace has been growing slowly but steadily. After the acceleration that covid brought on, and with the tight labor market in mind, more and more organizations are launching initiatives to give their employees a mental boost. Unfortunately, they are usually organized from a (well-meaning) gut feeling, rather than opting for avenues with scientifically proven effect.
Geluk Eva web
Eva Geluk
People & organization
Blog Burnout web

Levers for successful work resumption after burnout

Belgium is heading for half a million long-term sick people (DS Jan. 29, 2021). For one in three, the cause is mental health problems, including burnout. Of those who return to work, 25% have a relapse. No less than 50% fear relapse. Those are tough numbers. Antwerp Management School set out to investigate and returned with four levers for successful work resumption after burnout.
Geluk Eva web
Eva Geluk
People & organization

Research projects

Preventing absenteeism in SMEs

In this project, we work together with Mensura to explore why small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) struggle to take a preventive approach to absenteeism, and to develop solutions that fit their day to day reality.

Type project Applied, practice based research in co creation with companies and experts
Project partners Mensura
Duration April 01, 2025 - March 30, 2028

Well-being works: Working on (mental) well-being at work in a way that works

A 3-year research partnership with bpost, Baloise, and Elia, aims to convert the well-intended energy that organizations are currently investing in welfare actions into interventions that actually yield results. This partnership aims to develop and share new interventions and knowledge, with the ultimate goal of improving well-being in the workplace.

The research project is led by Kathleen Vangronsvelt and Eva Geluk.

Type project Research partnership
Project partners Bpost, Baloise, Elia
Duration March 23, 2023 - March 26, 2026