Workforce wellbeing in practice was carried out by UGent@Work, one of Ghent University’s interdisciplinary research consortia, dedicated to work and the labour market. The project combined two studies, the second building on the first.

The literature review. An international systematic literature review of how mental wellbeing initiatives for employees affect mental wellbeing at work. The results have been written up in a scientific article, now submitted to an academic journal.

The survey. A survey of 1.333 employees aged 18 to 66, working at least 18 hours a week, gives a representative picture of mental wellbeing at work in Belgium. It looks at the barriers to and drivers of mental wellbeing at work. It also asks workers what they think of the interventions identified in the literature review. Data were collected between 19 June and 12 August 2026, with research agency Bpact.

First results. Almost one in three workers (31%) is at increased or very high risk of burnout. Almost half (47%) say they perform tasks that are unnecessary or could be done more simply if work were better organised. Only 41% say their employer takes action to prevent mental health problems.

The team. Postdoctoral researcher Dr. Axana Dalle led the project, supervised by Prof. Dr. Stijn Baert and Dr. Brecht Neyt. Prof. Dr. Luc Van Ootegem, Prof. Dr. Elsy Verhofstadt and Dr. Eline Moens were also actively involved. Other researchers from the UGent@Work network added insights from their own research to the policy brief.