Health & Strategy Consultancy
Your people are your business. Not as a slogan. As a fact.
When employees start calling in sick more often, when a reorganization creates invisible tension, when high performers quietly disengage - something is happening beneath the surface. Not in the numbers. In the people behind them.
Most organizations react when it's already too late. When someone burns out. When turnover increases. When ESG reporting forces the conversation. By then, prevention has turned into damage control.
I work differently.
With over 25 years of experience as a psychologist, I help organizations build cultures where mental fitness is a standard — not a crisis response. Where managers see the person behind the employee. Where teams perform from genuine internal motivation, not from fear or pressure.
The result? Lower absenteeism. Stronger teams. A workplace people actually want to be part of. And a brand that attracts the kind of talent you're looking for.
What I offer organizations:
Keynotes and workshops, strategic health consulting, leadership training and practical tools for managers to recognize, address and prevent mental health issues early — before they escalate.
This isn't soft. It's smart business.
Because the organizations that invest in mental fitness today are the ones that will still have their best people tomorrow.
Curious what this could look like for your organization? Let's talk.
You know something needs to change. Maybe absenteeism is rising. Maybe your best people are quietly losing energy. Maybe you want to get ahead of it before it becomes a crisis.
Whatever the starting point - I'm here to think along with you.
Send me a message. I'll get back to you personally.
The numbers are hard to ignore.
An employee with burnout complaints is off sick for an average of 279 days. At a daily cost of €300 to the employer - according to TNO - that adds up to €83,700. Per person. Per incident.
And that's just the absence itself.
It doesn't include the cost of hiring a temporary replacement. The time it takes to get them up to speed. The work that piles up in the meantime. The projects that get delayed or cancelled altogether. The clients or services that can't be reached. The colleagues who absorb the extra workload - and quietly move closer to their own breaking point.
It doesn't include the damage to your employer brand. The HR hours spent on reintegration and conflict management. Or the legal costs that can follow when things escalate.
Psychosocial workload has been rising for years. Work stress and burnout complaints are no longer exceptions - they're a structural challenge in almost every sector. TNO has been tracking this trend for decades, and the direction hasn't changed.
Prevention is not the soft option. It is by far the cheaper one.
Organizations that invest in the mental fitness of their people before problems arise don't just create healthier workplaces. They protect their margins, their continuity and their reputation - all at once.
The question isn't whether you can afford to invest in mental health. It's whether you can afford not to.
They're ambitious, connected and capable. They're also struggling — more than the surface suggests.
Research commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment shows a clear trend: burnout symptoms among young workers aged 18 to 34 are on the rise. Performance pressure, life uncertainty and social pressure are the main drivers. The feeling of always having to do everything right. Being constantly available. Juggling work, relationships and care responsibilities — all at the same time.
This isn't a generation that doesn't want to work hard. It's a generation that doesn't know how to stop.
Between 2015 and 2022, absenteeism due to work-related psychological complaints increased across almost all sectors studied. In healthcare and education — sectors where many young women work — the picture is particularly concerning. Not only is the share of employees with burnout complaints high, but the group of employees who are genuinely doing well has been shrinking year after year.
That last part is worth sitting with. It's not just that more people are struggling. Fewer people are thriving.
For organizations, this is both a signal and a responsibility. Young talent is your future. If they're burning out in their twenties, the cost isn't just human — it's structural.
Investing in mental fitness early isn't idealistic. It's the most practical thing an organization can do.
The labor market tells a clear story. In the first quarter of 2023, there were 122 open vacancies for every 100 unemployed people in the Netherlands. Supply and demand are out of balance, and organizations are feeling it.
Most respond by spending heavily on recruitment. And no one questions that budget.
But investing in the people already walking through your door every day? That conversation is surprisingly rare.
That's a missed opportunity. Your current employees don't need onboarding. They know the culture, the clients, the unwritten rules. They've built trust and track record. Losing them doesn't just cost money - it costs momentum.
The organizations that retain top talent aren't necessarily the ones paying the highest salaries. They're the ones paying attention. To how people feel. To whether someone is still growing. To whether a manager is leading in a way that brings out the best in people - or quietly pushing them toward the exit.
The right questions to ask are simple. Are your employees still motivated? Do they feel valued? Are their talents being used? Is their mindset strong enough to handle pressure and change?
Mental fitness isn't a perk. It's a retention strategy. And in a market this tight, it might just be your most underused competitive advantage.
The numbers are clear. On January 1, 2023, over 3.6 million people in the Netherlands were aged 65 or older. That's 20 percent of the population. In 1990, it was less than 13 percent.
The working population is shrinking. The labor market is tightening. And that pressure isn't going away.
But here's what often gets overlooked: a significant group of older employees doesn't want to stop working at retirement age. With the right adjustments, they're ready and willing to keep contributing. That's not a problem to manage. That's an asset waiting to be activated.
Organizations that invest in the mental resilience, vitality and wellbeing of their older workforce don't just solve a staffing challenge. They retain experience, knowledge and stability that younger employees simply haven't had the time to build yet.
The question isn't whether your organization can afford to focus on this group. The question is whether you can afford not to.
With the right policy, training and mental fitness support, older employees stay healthier, more motivated and more engaged — for longer. That's good for them. And it's good for your bottom line.