Financieel Dagblad: The year stress earned a seat in the boardroom

Over the past year, managers and executives have had to deal with unrest in the workplace on a daily basis. Consider friction within teams, increased emotional strain, or meetings that become bogged down in operational concerns. Putting out fires too often became the default mode. Frequently, the issue was shifted onto HR, as if stress is something you simply manage 'on the side'. HR departments are often already overburdened and understaffed, leaving many organizations still wondering where this theme truly belongs.

More than just workload
It is essential to recognize that workplace stress cannot be attributed solely to workload, targets, or personal issues. Society is under structural strain as uncertainty, fear, and performance pressure accumulate. Economic instability, geopolitical threats, digitalization, constant availability, and social comparison are no longer abstract concepts. They are the daily reality for employees, managers, and board members alike.
Many people seek greater perspective—not just career prospects, but livelihood security, peace of mind, and control. This inevitably permeates into organizations. Over the past year, this trend was reflected in nearly all research on workplace stress and mental health. And we heard it increasingly in the news: stress complaints are rising, burnout is shifting to younger demographics, and absenteeism is becoming more prolonged.

One in six employees
In 2025, one in six employees went on leave due to stress or burnout symptoms. And that number continues to rise. Furthermore, it increasingly involves young, highly educated professionals—individuals with ambition, commitment, and talent, precisely the group organizations rely on for the future. Additionally, stress-related absenteeism is rarely an isolated incident. When one employee drops out, numbers two and three often follow soon after. Not because stress is 'contagious', but because the system within which people work is under structural tension.

The financial reality
A sick employee costs a company an average of €400 to €600 per day. In cases of long-term absenteeism, costs can escalate to €80,000 to €100,000 per employee per year. These are the visible costs, such as continued wage payment, replacement staffing, and lost productivity. Moreover, the invisible costs can be substantial, including the loss of knowledge, declining team morale, and increased workload for colleagues. On top of that, an employee's return after stress-related absence is far from self-evident. This is precisely why investing in prevention is highly accessible compared to the costs of absenteeism.

Avoid underestimation
One of the greatest misconceptions surrounding stress is that it is a 'soft' topic—something reserved for coaching or mindfulness on the fringes of the organization. However, stress is a biological, psychological, and organizational phenomenon. It influences cognition, behavior, decision-making, and collaboration. Prolonged stress narrows perspective, heightens reactivity, and diminishes the ability to plan ahead—the very capabilities organizations need in complex times.
Therefore, it is crucial not only to react to incidents, but primarily to examine the underlying causes. Too often, companies only take action when someone drops out, rather than when the system exhibits warning signs. And those signals are always present, long before an employee calls in sick.

2025 as a turning point
We discuss this with Diana de Koning, CEO of the Academie voor Stressmanagement. “I have been sounding the alarm for quite some time. Not out of doom-mongering, but out of urgency. If we do not change anything, I foresee stress becoming the number one public health issue by 2030.”
Yet, she sees positive signs: “In 2025, organizations demonstrated that things can be done differently—that prevention is not an expense, but a strategic investment. And that mental resilience, peace of mind, and focus are not luxuries, but prerequisites for healthy leadership and sustainable performance.”

It begins with insight
The first step is always gaining insight—not based on assumptions or gut feeling, but driven by data. Understanding where stress originates, how it manifests, and which patterns recur within teams and organizations. “Tools developed by us, such as the Stress Master Questionnaire (SMQ), make stress measurable and open for discussion—without judgment, without stigma. They provide an objective starting point for dialogue and policy, helping organizations guide purposefully rather than act reactively.”

From measurement to action
Insight alone is not enough; it requires guidance that goes beyond isolated interventions. An effective approach to stress addresses three levels: mindset, behavior, and environment. How people think. How they act under pressure. And how the organization is structured.
The methods utilized by the Centrum voor Stressmanagement and the Academie voor Stressmanagement are scientifically substantiated and practically applicable. Not to eradicate stress—which is impossible—but to make stress work for organizations rather than against them.

Peace of mind and focus
as a strategic choice. Looking back on 2025, one conclusion is inescapable: organizations that continue to treat stress as a secondary issue pay an increasingly steep price. Organizations that dare to invest in insight, prevention, and guidance build resilience, job satisfaction, and sustainable performance.
Peace of mind and focus in the workplace do not arise by chance; they are the result of conscious choices.
The question is not whether stress impacts your organization. The question is: how will you act on that insight?