Psychosocial Workload at Dutch Universities

Psychosocial workload, consisting of work pressure and undesirable behavior, has been a problem for employees within universities for a long time. This can lead to health problems, absenteeism and disability. In 2020, the Netherlands Labour Authority requested that universities draw up action plans to combat work pressure and undesirable behavior.

This research examines the question to what extent universities have implemented improvements since 2021 and with which effect. It describes the state of affairs regarding psychosocial workload at 14 Dutch public universities, as well as the effectiveness of the measures taken.