Increasing Work-Related Stress in the Netherlands and Belgium

The majority of people living with a common mental disorder are employed, but many are at greater risk of job loss and permanent labor market exclusion than colleagues without these problems (OECD; Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2012). In addition, the costs of mental ill-health for society are large, reaching 3;4.5% of GDP across a range of selected OECD countries in 2010 (OECD; Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2012). It is shown that in particular, mental illness is responsible for a significant loss of potential labor supply, high rates of unemployment, a high incidence of sickness absence, reduced productivity at work, and a large burden of disease (Eaton et al., 2008; Goetzel et al., 2004; OECD; Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development; 2012; Wittchen, Jacobi, & Rehm, 2011). Matrix Insight (2013) estimated that the total costs of work-related depression in the European Union are nearly €620 billion per year. The major impact is suffered by employers (44%), followed by the economy in terms of lost output (39%), the health care systems due to treatment costs (10%), and the social welfare systems due to disability benefit payments (€40 billion). Given the high costs for individuals, employers, and society at large, investing in mental health awareness, psychosocial risk management, mental illhealth prevention, and stimulating return to work after having left work because of mental health problems are urgently needed. In this chapter, we focus on the management of mental health in the Netherlands and Belgium two neighboring countries that were both founding members of the European Union. Both countries adhere to European directives, including the European Working Conditions Act, 1 which puts acting on risks to tackle workrelated health problems at their source as a priority. Taking this into account, we will notice that in this chapter, both countries deal with the challenges of tackling work-related mental health problems at their source differently.