Prevention is better than sitting at home

More and more organizations are using a business psychologist, reports nu.nl. According to figures from occupational health and safety service ArboNed, almost a third of absenteeism in the Netherlands is caused by psychological complaints, such as burnouts and anxiety disorders. That sounds worrying, but it also has positive sides. You could even call it good news. Why? Let’s explain.

Psychological complaints out of the taboo sphere

Why the demand for industrial psychologists has increased so much cannot (yet) be answered with certainty. More research would be done for that. But educated guessing (and the necessary experience in this field) will get you a long way.

Buddy is part of Akerendam, which has been around since 1989. Over the years, we have noticed how psychology has come out of the taboo sphere. Nowadays, you don’t have to be ashamed to seek the help of a psychologist for your mental health. Much more than before, there is also social attention for psychological problems.

In addition, there are several factors in contemporary life that increase mental tensions. We live in troubled times. Wars, climate change and polarization provide a more rickety future perspective. The feeling of uncertainty that corona has fueled has left its mark. We have to deal with social media that forces a certain idea of what a successful life is. All these factors affect our home situation, the workplace and our mental health. And thus on our professional functioning.

“Almost a third of absenteeism in the Netherlands is caused by psychological complaints, but with the right approach, industrial psychologists can help prevent problems and increase happiness at work.”

Better safe than sorry

So in a way, it is good news that more and more organizations are hiring a business psychologist: they value the mental health of their employees. However, if a business psychologist is called in, the damage has usually already been done. Especially with psychological complaints, people often sound the alarm too late. As a result, employees end up sitting at home. The sooner you catch it, the less time you need to recover. But you prefer to be completely ahead of it.

That is why we advise you to think about the mental health of your employees even if nothing is wrong yet (or nothing seems to be wrong). Anything can happen under the skin. Social unrest, the home situation, workplace dynamics: it all affects someone’s functioning. So make sure you have an accessible way to talk about it. With someone who can spot problems before they arise. He can interpret what is going on. And who knows what steps to take to prevent worse.

Specialists in happiness at work

With the right knowledge and approach, a professional coach can also help employees feel (even) better about themselves or take new career steps. And thus increase happiness at work. Would you like to know more about this? Coincidentally, increasing happiness at work is our specialty.

Questions about this topic? Please contact us.