First Flemish insurance policy for burnout
Antwerp-based Baloise Insurance has included burnout in its new policy for long-term illness for 2015, a first in Belgium
Teachers have highest risk
Belgium officially recognised burnout as an illness on 1 September, and employers are legally obliged to take measures to protect their employees against the condition, which encompasses exhaustion and high levels of stress related to one’s job.
According to an article in Het Laatste Nieuws, patients with burnout often experience financial difficulties. Research shows that people with a burnout are unable to work for a period of 189 days on average.
A study by the Flemish social and economic council, Serv, has demonstrated that one in 10 workers in Flanders suffered from health problems related to burnout last year. A heavy workload and emotional stress on the job are defining aspects that cause burnout, according to the study.
“Emotional stress usually means that the workers interact a lot with the public in their job,” explained Serv’s Ria Bourdeaud’hui on Radio 1. This could explain why staff in the education sector have the highest risk of getting a burnout. According to Serv’s study, education staff have more than a 12% chance of getting a burnout. The financial and transport sectors are also high-risk, with 11.9 and 11.6% chance of burnout respectively.
