Z.org KU Leuven
Z.org KU Leuven has more than 1,300 employees, all of whom are experts in mental healthcare and work across five different campuses, including the Gasthuisberg and Kortenberg hospital campuses. The healthcare organisation made employee wellbeing a top priority. David Derwael, HR Director at Z.org KU Leuven, works closely with ergonomist Tineke Lauwers, prevention advisor on psychosocial aspects Elke Velle, prevention advisor on occupational safety Jan Quisthoudt and occupational doctor Liesbeth De Greef from IDEWE. They form a close-knit team driven by a common goal: putting people’s wellbeing first. How does the partnership work? And how are they dealing with digitalisation?
Z.org KU Leuven and IDEWE share a commitment to people’s wellbeing. And that goes beyond simply providing a service. David Derwael, HR Director at Z.org KU Leuven, believes that a partnership only makes sense if it is authentic and both parties genuinelyrecognise each other’s expertise. He sees the teamwork with IDEWE as cooking together. “We each add a unique flavour to the dish from our own experience. Although working together in one kitchen isn’t always easy, the collaboration with IDEWE is seamless and amicable”, says David Derwael.
Trust each other for shared success
For David, trust is at the heart of this partnership. “IDEWE has confidence in our HR policy, just as I count on IDEWE’s expertise. As soon as you see that your partner has the same intentions as you, you know you’re in the right place.”
Occupational doctor Liesbeth De Greef concurs with David’s vision. “We communicate in an approachable manner, which strengthens our mutual trust. Our ultimate goal is to support employees so they can perform their work tasks in a healthy, safe and positive way.
Elke Velle, prevention advisor on psychosocial aspects at IDEWE, explains how the trust grew step by step. “We apply the principles of co-creation to certain services. Z.org KU Leuven has experts such as psychologists, psychiatrists and nursing experts who boast extensive practical and theoretical knowledge. Together, we’re looking at how we can support the staff even better. That leads to valuable processes in which we work together to find the best solutions, putting employees’ interests first. Everyone can give their opinion, and we always strive to achieve the best results.”
Cooperation and trust stimulate innovation.
Innovative collaboration
David places huge value on the co-creation with IDEWE. Together, they’re constantly looking for innovations and opportunities to provide better care for employees. As a prevention advisor on psychosocial aspects, Elke heads up the care team, an internal team of nursing experts, psychiatrists and psychologists who provide immediate care to employees after serious incidents. Occupational doctor Liesbeth is responsible for organising health monitoring and integrating the legislation into such monitoring. The superb cooperation allows them to come up with great methods and ideas. As an example, they have already launched a scheme that employees can use to select from a list of targeted examinations based on what they actually need or would like. Tineke, the ergonomist, takes an active approach to promoting an ergonomic environment, advising on the design, set-up, purchase and use of appropriate equipment. In addition, she is also planning hybrid training programmes in the future. Together, they are building a groundbreaking and innovative project.
“It’s great that we can always share our ideas freely," says David. “Some proposals are implemented, while others are not. Recently, we also found out that a mental wellbeing project wasn’t feasible. That didn’t affect our relationship, however. After all, when you experiment, sometimes things don’t go as planned. It is thanks to our good cooperation and mutual trust that we can take an innovative approach to our work.”
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Going beyond the legal framework
Coming together gives the whole team a boost. “While other partners primarily ask for advice, what we have done is develop a unique, dynamic collaboration,” says Elke. “We don’t become bogged down in the traditional legal frameworks, but instead look at what is relevant today and, above all, tomorrow. This creative approach enriches and freshens up our daily experience at work.”
“We have a legal framework, of course,” adds Liesbeth. “But our efforts go beyond that.”
David expresses his huge appreciation for the team at IDEWE: “You are naturally enthusiastic and look beyond what is strictly necessary. You take the initiative and are happy to go the extra mile. It’s that drive that provides so much energy and dynamism.”
Balance between a personal touch and digital innovation
David is fascinated by the possibilities AI offers. However, he would struggle if the unique, personal touch shown in caring for their employees were to be replaced by technologies such as chatbots. “The most important thing is that our staff see digitalisationas a valuable resource. In a healthcare company such as ours, contact with our employees remains key. Digitalisation must be a gradual process.”
“Digitalisation can be a good thing as it offers support and enables tailor-made care for each employee," adds Elke. “We’re looking into the best way to do this together with Z.org KU Leuven.”
Tineke and David are researching how two ergonomics tools can support Z.org KU Leuven further. “ErgoTool is an interactive online tool for ergonomic working in healthcare. We provide caregivers with the knowledge and skills to identify and address ergonomics risks by taking an ergonomics approach to a variety of situations, with the aim of reducing physical complaints. We also support the health ofstaff who use display screen equipment with the OptiDesk onlinetool. We’re looking at how these tools can contribute to our vision, keeping the personal aspect at its heart with digitalisation playing a supporting role”, says Tineke.
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Individual needs are put first
Health monitoring responds to employees’ needs. It also provides easy access to both psychosocial and ergonomics support to make sure employees always get the help they need. Positive results are being achieved thanks to the good cooperation. “As an example, an employee suffering from back problems can contact an ergonomics specialist, while someone struggling with stress or burnout can seek help from a psychologist. This idea encouraged us to focus even more on our employees’ specific needs and boosted the multidisciplinary collaborationbetween Z.org KU Leuven and IDEWE.”
IDEWE and Z.org KU Leuven are building a support team together, with a large number of internal employees. “In addition to IDEWE’s external healthcare professionals, we have our own in-house specialists – from prevention advisors to confidential counsellors and intervision coaches to wellbeing coaches. The plan is to bring the experts together into one coherent team that will further shape the care policy for employees. This will allow us to create an environment that responds even more to our employees’ individual needs”, concludes David.
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