Entrepreneurial Approaches to Healthy Lifestyles

How can we help employees stay healthy and fit? And how can employers determine which lifestyle interventions actually work? In the Entrepreneurial Approaches to Healthy Lifestyles project, employers, innovative entrepreneurs and knowledge institutions in the Northern Netherlands work together to create healthier workplaces. We match existing lifestyle interventions with the needs of organisations and their employees. We also investigate the benefits of these interventions for employee health and ability to work, as well as for employers. In doing so, the project aims to reduce sickness absence, improve job satisfaction and create new opportunities for entrepreneurs.

Background

More and more employers are investing in the health and wellbeing of their employees, partly to reduce sickness absence. However, it is not always clear which lifestyle interventions are actually effective. Employers also find it difficult to choose an approach that suits their organisation and employees from the wide range of options available.

At the same time, innovative entrepreneurs in the lifestyle sector often struggle to demonstrate the effectiveness of their products and services and reach the right employers. As a result, opportunities to improve employee health and ability to work remain untapped.

Entrepreneurial Approaches to Healthy Lifestyles brings together employers, entrepreneurs and knowledge institutions to address these challenges. By studying and testing lifestyle interventions in real-world settings, the project aims to identify which approaches work and what benefits they deliver. The project therefore focuses not only on healthier employees and reduced sickness absence, but also on innovation and economic development in the Northern Netherlands.

Who is the projectteam?

The project brings together employers, innovative SMEs and knowledge institutions from Drenthe, Groningen and Fryslân. Technologie Centrum Noord-Nederland (TCNN) is the lead partner and coordinates collaboration between the organisations involved.

Representing the Research Group Digital Innovation in Healthcare and Social Work and the Associate Research Group Addiction and Lifestyle, Job van 't Veer, Kor Spoelstra and Inge Tuitert will begin by exploring the lifestyle intervention needs of employees and employers. This exploration will initially focus on the healthcare and social work sector, followed by transport and logistics, and the metalworking and electrical engineering industries.

Project approach

The project matches the needs of employers and employees with existing lifestyle interventions, including those with proven effectiveness. Through a dedicated Lifestyle Intervention Service, employers receive support in finding and implementing suitable interventions.

The process begins by identifying the challenges facing an organisation and the needs of its employees. Suitable interventions are then selected and implemented. The project partners subsequently evaluate the results in practice.

Entrepreneurs in the lifestyle sector also receive support in researching and demonstrating the effectiveness of their interventions. Through practical pilot projects, entrepreneurs, employers and knowledge institutions work together to test and further develop new and existing interventions.

The research examines effects on employees' ability to work, sickness absence and job satisfaction, as well as the financial benefits for employers. The knowledge gained will help make effective interventions more widely applicable.

What are the main (or preliminary) results?

During the project period, Entrepreneurial Approaches to Healthy Lifestyles aims to support at least twelve entrepreneurs in the lifestyle sector and carry out practical pilots with at least nine employers. The project aims to reach a minimum of 2,050 employees.

The pilots will take place in sectors including healthcare and social work, transport and logistics, and the metalworking and electrical engineering industries. The project partners will investigate which lifestyle interventions contribute to improved ability to work, reduced sickness absence and greater job satisfaction.

The project will also investigate whether a financial return of at least two euros for every euro invested can be demonstrated. This is a research objective, not an established result.

The knowledge gained will be used to develop a sustainable approach that enables employers and entrepreneurs to continue working towards healthier workplaces after the project ends.