Trends Impact Podcast: On employee well-being and workability Elia and De Groote De Man

On June 9th, both the regional, federal and European elections in Belgium will be held. And if that’s not enough “voting” for you, in the upcoming weeks more than 7,000 companies in Belgium will hold social elections. Over 2 million employees are expected to vote for their representatives in the Works Council and/or the Committee for Prevention and Protection at Work (CPPW). These representatives will contribute to workplace participation and engagement over the next four years. But what about employee participation? Are unions still the right approach? And is there a connection between voting preference in political elections and attitudes toward social elections?

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.

It is crucial that well-being policy is approached holistically, with fruit and yoga being just a part of a broader culture of well-being and care for employees.