BRUSSELS (Brussels Morning) – #lovemyjob. We can laugh about it, but there is a lot of truth in it. 63% of working Belgians feel a passion for their job every week and 70% experience it as meaningful and useful every week. This is apparent from a survey that SD Worx conducted in April 2021 among about 5,000 employees in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, France and the United Kingdom.
Pride!
70% of Belgian employees are proud of the work they produce at least once a week. This is partly because they feel connected to their job, environment and the organization for which they work. Only slightly more Dutch people experience this pride (77.3%).
Working with pleasure
About the same number of employees find their work meaningful and useful every week or more. And 66.66% say they have fun at work every week. That is of course very important. It is not only about great colleagues, but above all about the kind of job. It is important that you have a job that gives meaning to your life and makes you proud.
So most Belgians are on the right track there. This is also thanks to employers who involve their employees more with the aim of inclusion, diversity and equality.
This could be better
Unfortunately, it’s not all rainbows and roses. Compared to the other countries, Belgians score just below average when it comes to getting energy at work. 55% experience this at least once a week. This trend also applies to the degree of mental load: 41% of Belgian white-collar workers experience their job as mentally demanding on a weekly basis.
Physical fatigue is another aspect that could be improved. 27% of the respondents experience their work as physically tiring on a weekly basis. In all these areas we score well less than our neighboring countries.
Of course, these results were influenced by the corona pandemic. In recent years, many employees had to switch to telecommuting. This saved a lot of commuting time and congestion. At the same time, they lost fun moments in the office and venting out options. The mental wellbeing of employees has recently become an absolute top priority. Most employers seem to be aware of this. So there is a future.
