PMO: More focus on mental well-being

24 April 2025

The preventive medical examination (PMO) is like an important tool for the physical health and mental well-being of employees. Given the continuous increase in absences due to stress-related symptoms, it is very important to take psychosocial workload (PSA) into account. This addresses the mental aspect of work specifically.

PSA includes factors that can cause stress such as workload, bullying, sexual harassment and aggression in the workplace. It is crucial to include PSA in a PMO because of the significant impact it can have, both on employees and on an organisation itself.

Impact on employees:

Mental symptoms: Prolonged exposure to PSA can lead to stress, anxiety, burnout and depression.
Physical symptoms: Chronic stress due to PSA can result in physical symptoms such as headaches, fatigue and muscle pain.

Impact on organisations:

Increased sick leave: PSA contributes to higher absenteeism rates, as employees are more likely to call in sick due to stress-related symptoms.
Reduced productivity: Employees under stress often perform at lower levels, which has a negative impact on the overall productivity of the organisation.

Addressing risks early

Integrating PSA into a PMO allows organisations to identify and address psychosocial risks at an early stage. This promotes a healthy work environment, reduces absences, and increases employee satisfaction and productivity. Moreover, according to the working conditions act (Arbowet), employers are obliged to offer their employees periodic medical examinations aimed at preventing or reducing work-related health risk factors.

PSA as standard

PSA is a standard component of every PMO that HumanCapitalCare carries out for its clients. The PSA element of the PMO consists of a questionnaire. The PMO questionnaire contains several modules that address PSA-related topics. The questionnaire consists of basic and supplementary modules. The PSA-related topics mentioned earlier are included in the basic modules. This ensures that PSA is covered in detail in every PMO carried out by HumanCapitalCare.

PMOs at HumanCapitalCare

At HumanCapitalCare, PMOs consist of:

A questionnaire;
A health survey;
A vitality session with a certified vitality coach.

This last component consists of a personal session with the employee based on their individual results. These concrete tools are useful in determining follow-up actions. On the other hand, any indicators identified by our vitality coaches, e.g. relating to PSA, help provide qualitative feedback for our occupational physicians. If any indicators arise, they are always handled in accordance with the applicable privacy laws and regulations.

Interested or have any questions?

Want to work on improving the health, vitality and employability of your employees? Or do you have any questions about PMOs? We are happy to help. Please get in touch with your regular contact at HumanCapitalCare and find out what we can do for your organisation.