‘Recognising the signs in time helps to prevent sick leave’
Two workshops on imbalance are scheduled in the near future: one for staff members and one for managers. The aim is to help people recognise signs of imbalance earlier and to take appropriate action.
The most recent Staff Monitor shows that work-life balance is a topic that requires constant attention within the faculty. However, staff members often find it difficult to slow down in time, while it can also be difficult for managers to start the conversation.
Workshops
‘When we see red warning lights in the car, we go to the garage,’ summarises trainer Carine de Vries, ‘but if our own warning lights come on, we just keep on going. As an occupational physician, I see that in 75% to 80% of cases there are signs before someone needs to take sick leave. People often unconsciously try to hide these signs, from themselves and from their manager. In my workshops, I help both managers and staff members to recognise these signs early and then acknowledge them.’
De Vries does this by providing information and engaging in discussion with participants. ‘I talk about difficult situations in an approachable way, and then we look together at what works and what doesn’t work. The workshop provides words and images for situations of imbalance. Ultimately, I hope this will help participants to create a psychologically safe environment, where they have room to speak about imbalance.’
Practical tools
Joëlle Koning is one of the managers who has attended the workshops given by De Vries. ‘Many managers are very busy, which means they don’t make time for workshops like these. I’m really glad I did in this case. In a department like Student Affairs, there are always a few people who are on sick leave. You actually know the signs, but the workshop makes you even more aware of them.’
It helps that the workshop offers concrete tools, Koning found. ‘There’s not too much theory. The tips and role-playing offer a concrete way to become aware of the signs and to learn what questions you can ask. Sometimes, as a manager, you can already see that things aren’t going well for people, even when they themselves aren’t really aware of it. The workshop provides tools to start the conversation and to name the signs, which we’re already doing more often in the GROW interviews.’
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