How OpenUp Helps You Recognise and Map Psychosocial Workload (PSA)

The Netherlands Labour Authority is tightening its oversight of psychosocial workload (PSA), and the Arbowet (the Dutch Working Conditions Act) calls for up-to-date insight into workload, unwanted behaviour and mental strain.

For you, as an HR manager, that raises a concrete question: how do you get a clear picture of what is really going on before a team burns out or an issue only surfaces in an exit interview?

At OpenUp, we support organisations with a complete platform in which the Vitality Check, 1:1 sessions with a psychologist, lifestyle coaching, and an external confidential advisor all work together. Want to get a picture of your employees’ physical health as well? Then we can also run a Preventive Medical Examination (PMO) together to map out broader health risks.

Below, we walk through five familiar situations you will recognise as an HR manager, and for each one, we show how we map it out and what you get to see.

Five PSA situations where OpenUp helps

Which PSA signals should you, as an HR expert, keep an eye on? In this article, we walk through the signs and show how the OpenUp platform helps you spot them in time and take action:

1.  High workload and rising work stress
2. Inappropriate behaviour in the workplace
3. Catching the early signs of mental health problems
4. Protecting work-life balance in hybrid working
5. Employees don’t talk about what is going on

Recognise these signs and want to talk through how we map PSA together? Get in touch. Don’t quite see your situation here? We are happy to think it through with you, too.

1) High workload and rising work stress

What HR sees: You might notice absenteeism creeping up in a particular team. People go off sick again soon after they return, and workload keeps coming up in exit interviews. Sometimes it is a department that consistently works overtime; sometimes a team where a few people drop out one after another.

How we can help you: our Vitality Check and the HR dashboard work together. The Vitality Check is a standard part of the platform. Employees fill it in online in under ten minutes and get instant insight across ten themes, from sleep and stress to work and nutrition. The individual result is only known by the employee. Meanwhile, the HR dashboard shows you which themes are active on the platform and in which teams usage is peaking.

What you get from it: insight into trends by department, early warning of risks like burnout and fatigue, anonymous data on how employees use OpenUp, and the input you need to act precisely and strengthen your policy. Individual results remain anonymous. The Vitality Check takes the first step itself. For example, if there is a low score on stress or energy, you receive an immediate suggestion for the next step. This is usually a 1:1 session with a psychologist. You book it straight into the calendar. Always available, within 48 hours.

2) Inappropriate behaviour in the workplace

What HR sees: complaints that never reach the organisation through a formal reporting procedure. An exit interview where a pattern only emerges in the final ten minutes. Rumours in the workplace that no one ever puts into words officially.

How we can help you: at OpenUp, employees can turn to an external confidential advisor, an add-on module on top of the core platform. That route is confidential and runs outside their own organisation. The employee talks to an expert who is not employed by the employer, and together they decide on the next step: advice, mediation, or filing a formal complaint. If a signal is serious, the confidential advisor reviews it with the employee straight away to determine whether action is needed within the organisation, always with consent and anonymously. Several experts are available, and when something is urgent, an appointment can be scheduled the same day. On top of that, you in HR receive a high-level anonymised overview once a year.

What you get from it: our confidential advisors are psychologists at OpenUp with a master’s degree in psychology and at least four years’ experience, trained in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). They have also completed specialised confidential-advisor training. It is the same psychological craft used in our 1:1 sessions, with specific additional training on top. So through OpenUp, employees can both book regular 1:1 sessions with a psychologist and turn to the confidential advisor: two separate routes with different aims.

3) Catching the early signs of mental health problems

What HR sees: employees show signs of mental strain, but often report it only after they are already off work. Sometimes you only see it later, in a burnout, a long absence or recurring sick leave within six months.

How we can help you: the Vitality Check brings mental well-being into view early. An employee who notices that their energy and stress have been out of balance for weeks can see it for themselves, without having to go to HR first. That same employee then books a first 1:1 session with one of our psychologists straight away, without HR in the middle.

What you get from it: two handles. In the short term, the Vitality Check reporting shows you whether a theme, workload or energy, for example, is declining in a team this week or month. You can act on that straight away, with a group session, targeted content or a reminder that 1:1 sessions are available. In the long term, those same themes feed your well-being agenda for the year ahead.

4) Protecting work-life balance during hybrid working

What HR sees: a creeping pattern. Longer working days, lower average energy, and a sense among employees that they never really switch off from work. Especially in hybrid teams, where the line between office and home blurs.

How we can help you: stress, sleep and work are three of the ten themes the Vitality Check measures. When those keep scoring low together, the employee knows it themselves, and we see it at the group level in the reporting.

What you get from it: two routes for your employee, depending on their needs. For the mental side, like learning to let go of work in their own time or setting boundaries in conversations with a manager, the employee books a 1:1 session with a psychologist. For the physical side, like nutrition advice, sleep, energy and exercise, our lifestyle experts step in. Both routes are bookable by employees straight away, without HR in the middle. For anyone who wants to work on it themselves, our well-being library offers exercises and articles on work-life balance. Group sessions bring employees together online in small groups to share experiences and reflect together, guided by a psychologist or lifestyle coach. Meanwhile, the Vitality Check reporting gives you insight into which teams are under sustained pressure, so you can direct policy where it is needed. For anyone who wants to add a periodic physical health check, a PMO through OpenUp fits alongside this. A PMO can also cover the statutory PAGO obligation (the statutory Dutch occupational health examination), provided workplace risks are included.

5) Employees don’t talk about what is going on

What HR sees: employees do not discuss workload and are unsure who to turn to. The conversation they have at home never happens at the office.

How we can help you: a healthy culture starts with managers who dare to open the conversation. We offer Leadership Coaching for managers who want to learn to recognise the signs, make team dynamics discussable and have difficult conversations. For the manager who is stuck on workload, dealing with a conflict or facing an imbalance in the team, mental health coaching is available as a 1:1 programme with a psychologist at OpenUp.

What you get from it: for employees, 1:1 sessions with our psychologists are available without HR or a manager in the middle. Direct, unlimited and booked within 48 hours. That gives people a safe space to take action themselves before HR spots a pattern at organisation level. Over time, it also lowers the threshold for bringing it up in the workplace and in conversations with their manager.

Which OpenUp component fits which situation

A quick overview of what to expect in each situation, structured around how we measure, what you do in the short term, how it feeds your long-term agenda and what safety net is in place.

Underpinning all of this is our data promise: results stay anonymous at the group level, no individual data is shared with HR, and our data stays within the EU, in line with ISO 27001 and NEN 7510.

How OpenUp works with you on your PSA policy

Behind the five situations runs one continuous rhythm. The Vitality Check picks up early signs before they turn into a sick note. The employee acts straight away with a 1:1 session or a masterclass. As HR, you can also switch on targeted content or set up a tailored workplace session with OpenUp around the theme at hand. For anyone who wants to continuously monitor the physical side, a PMO through OpenUp provides that. And across the year, the Vitality Check reporting feeds your well-being agenda, based on what is actually going on in your organisation.