AZ Delta builds a data driven wellbeing policy for and by its people
With more than 4,000 employees, over 200 departments and 4 campuses, AZ Delta is a healthcare organisation with major social impact. Every day, thousands of care professionals dedicate themselves to patients. But how are they actually doing? That question became the reason for AZ Delta to take a closer look at its own wellbeing policy. Not from a legal obligation, but from the ambition to put the needs of its employees at the centre of its policymaking.
The question
AZ Delta wanted to gain a clear and scientifically grounded view of the wellbeing of all employees. They were looking for a partner who could set up a thorough survey, help create support, and translate the results into clear priorities and a sustainable, future oriented wellbeing policy.
The collaboration in a nutshell
By combining an organisation wide wellbeing survey with a strong communication approach, AZ Delta gained for the first time a complete and reliable picture of the wellbeing of all their employees. The high participation rate led to well supported insights, which were immediately translated into clear priorities and actions at team and organisational level. This created a strong foundation that three internal working groups are now using to further develop a sustainable, future‑focused wellbeing policy.
The story
For Belgian companies it’s legally required to map out the wellbeing of your employees at least every five years. Still, AZ Delta wanted to do more than simply tick off this to-do. The internal steering group on wellbeing wanted to carry out a thorough baseline measurement that goes beyond classic wellbeing surveys, where the focus often lies solely on stress. Our wellbeing survey - offering a complete view of mental, physical, and social wellbeing, enriched with work‑related contextual factors and motivation - proved to be the ideal translation of this vision.
With more than 200 managers and a wide range of roles, creating support for the arrival and completion of our wellbeing survey was essential. After all, no or too few participants give a distorted picture of the results.
That’s why AZ Delta developed a clear communication strategy, emphasising the purpose and impact of the survey. We provided all the necessary information and further support:
- Clear and accessible info sessions
- Attractive and informative flyers that were handed out personally
- Regular mention of the survey in newsletters
- Visual reminders that reinforced the message through for example screensavers
Next to this, we proactively identified possible obstacles to completing the survey to ensure full participation. Because many employees lack computer access while working, AZ Delta set up computer rooms at various times, enabling them to make their voices heard quickly and digitally.
Around 65% of all employees completed the My WellRi. An exceptionally strong result for an organisation of that size.
We present the results of our survey in accordance with the three levels of the IGLO model:
- Individual: individual reports remained optional in this process
- Leaders: each department received its own report, supplemented with practical tips for leaders to immediately open the conversation when needed. Individual privacy was fully respected, as only aggregated information was shared.
- Organisation & group: interactive dashboards with insights per campus, department and target group.
We also visualised the results in a Key Insights Report, making focus areas visible at a glance. This report is always part of our wellbeing survey.
A number of our findings:
- AZ Delta has an exceptionally strong foundation, with a job satisfaction score of 80%. The hospital also scores remarkably well in terms of organisational commitment and turnover intention, which points to sustainable engagement and a strong sense of connection between employees.
- Employees appreciate the variety in their job, but at the same time experience a high emotional load. This is partly inherent to the care context, but it also creates opportunities to support each other even better as a team, to ventilate and to strengthen one another.
- In terms of work-life balance, especially when it comes to mentally switching off from work and mobile working, there is clearly still growth potential, which creates opportunities to further stimulate sustainable employability.
Conducting a scientific survey of staff needs provides the strongest foundation for a well-supported wellbeing policy featuring initiatives that can truly make a difference.
These insights didn’t end up in a drawer. Three internal working groups got to work with them and are helping to determine the next steps. AZ Delta will soon organise a wellbeing event to take employees along in this process, a powerful signal that wellbeing is being anchored strategically.
For AZ Delta, this marks a beginning rather than an endpoint. By measuring, planning, acting, and involving the entire organisation, wellbeing evolves into a collective story, anchored in policy and lived out in daily practice.
Also ready to strengthen your wellbeing policy based on data and supported choices? Waldon is happy to think along with you!
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