Antwerp, July 25, 2024 – Taboos in the Flemish workplace continue to weigh heavily, both in private and professional contexts. For instance, 64% of Flemish people hide their mental health issues at work, and more than six out of ten (63%) do not dare to ask for a salary increase. This is evident from a study by Antwerp Management School (AMS) in collaboration with SD Worx, involving 1,700 respondents. Professor Peggy De Prins explains how we can break these taboos.

Increasingly, organizations are striving to create a human-centered, open, and safe company culture, but the reality often leaves much to be desired. Flemish employees remain silent about their mental health problems at work, which ranks first on the list of taboos related to private contexts. De Prins states: “Taboos in the workplace arise when employees feel they do not meet the prevailing norm. The ideal image of a successful professional, who never makes mistakes and is always mentally and physically stable throughout their career, causes deviations to quickly be seen as taboo. The gap between this ideal and the imperfect reality of everyday life leads to frustrations, silence, and taboos in the workplace.”

More than half hide private issues

In addition to mental problems, there is also a significant silence around other private issues. “Physical problems rank third in the top five. These are significantly more concealed by women, individuals over 55, and operational profiles (workers and executive employees). The silence surrounding physical problems is related to the fact that in some workplaces, discussing illness is not acceptable. There is a kind of stigmatization around the topic,” says De Prins. One respondent shares their experience of being sick: “I feel that this is not appreciated at all. Therefore, I do not dare to be sick.”

Many employees still hide external or internal characteristics in the workplace. For instance, 9% of respondents conceal that they have ADHD or are on the autism spectrum. An equal number admit they do not openly smoke at work or struggle with a hidden addiction.

This Classic Remains the Biggest Workplace Taboo

Daring to talk about salary increases remains the biggest taboo in the work context. As many as 63% of Flemish people do not dare to discuss this, and, by extension, promotion. “In our culture, we do not like to talk about our finances because people still link this to their social status, but in many cases, young people are more advanced in this regard. They may be able to break this salary taboo in the future,” says De Prins.

“Salary comparisons often lead to negative feelings, such as shame and envy, especially if the salary does not correspond to the efforts at work,” De Prins continues. “Employees may feel inferior if they discover they earn less than colleagues in the same position with the same experience, especially if this becomes widely known. Salary secrecy thus functions as a protective mechanism. This is also reflected in the so-called ‘golden cage syndrome,’ where four out of ten employees remain in their well-paid job, even if it does not motivate them.”

60% Do Not Dare to Confront Their Supervisor About Mistakes

In addition to the salary taboo, dealing with mistakes presents a second significant challenge. Six out of ten Flemish employees do not dare to confront their supervisor about mistakes, and slightly fewer (55%) avoid addressing this with colleagues. When it comes to our own mistakes, we are somewhat less reserved: only 37% feel uncomfortable discussing this at work. Additionally, 36% of Flemish people do not dare to discuss the difficult aspects of their job, such as workload, with their supervisor.

De Prins states: “The expectation to meet very high performance standards creates a taboo around discussing the pressure and challenges that come with performing the job. Employees may feel they cannot express their feelings of inadequacy or the pressure of work, leading to further isolation and mental strain. Mistakes they make are best not made public due to these high expectations. These examples illustrate the complex dynamics of taboos and their impact on both personal well-being and organizational culture.”

Breaking Taboos?

“Taboos help shape social relationships. They are a powerful means of cultural formation, an invisible force behind human behavior in organizations. It is up to an organization, team, or individual to determine whether taboos are outdated dysfunctional rituals or have a function and therefore should be respected. For example, ‘stealing at work’ is a taboo that is best kept as such.”

In cases where we do want to break taboos, De Prins indicates that we can distinguish between two taboo-breaking scenarios: “On the one hand, ‘from overstressed to realistic expectations’; on the other, ‘from unwritten to written rules.’ While the first movement focuses on striving for more humanity, for example, by fostering a learning culture, the second seeks more fairness, such as providing frameworks and logics within which salary can be communicated transparently.”

About the Research

This research was conducted thanks to a collaboration between the Next Generation Work expertise center at Antwerp Management School, SD Worx, and Het Nieuwsblad. The survey was distributed under the title “Participation Barometer: Are You Heard at Work?” Fieldwork took place between February and March 2024 among a broad population of working Flemish people. In total, 1,698 completed questionnaires were collected, including 20% men, 79% women, and 1% X, categorized by education level: 4% lower educated, 18% middle educated, and 78% higher educated; by job profile: 44% workers/executive employees, 43% middle management/professionals, and 12% senior management/directors.

The recruitment of respondents was conducted through the channels of the three partners, who sent the invitation via social and digital media. Additionally, the personal networks of the researchers were utilized to recruit extra respondents (known as snowball sampling). This approach has implications for the composition of the sample. There was an overrepresentation of women and higher educated individuals. The data were also reweighted based on the data from the ‘Labour Force Survey (LFS).’

About Antwerp Management School

For over 60 years, Antwerp Management School (AMS) has focused on value creation for organizations and companies through a focus on sustainable transformation of individuals, teams, and organizations from a global perspective. With its high-quality management programs and research, the school provides a strong boost to economic and social activities in Belgium and beyond. Around 70 faculty members inspire 900 students annually in our Master and PhD programs and executive education. Additionally, we welcome 3,000 professionals to our B2B solutions and events. The school is known for its personalized approach, which is highly valued by over 26,000 alumni from 96 different countries.

About SD Worx

In today’s new world of flexible working, people want to find inspiration in their jobs and have the freedom to focus on what truly matters. Organizations need dynamic, motivated employees supported by smart technology. As a leading European provider of integrated HR solutions, SD Worx turns HR into a valuable tool for their clients’ businesses and the people who work for them. SD Worx provides HR solutions for the entire employee lifecycle, from payroll to attracting, recruiting, rewarding, and developing the talent that makes companies successful. SD Worx offers its solutions through four core capabilities: software, outsourcing, consultancy, and insights based on data analysis.

SD Worx is the trusted leading European provider of end-to-end HR solutions for all organizations and employees. Approximately 90,000 small and large organizations across Europe trust the company and its over 75 years of experience. SD Worx processes payroll for around 5.7 million employees and ranks among the top five globally. Its more than 7,500 employees are active in Belgium (HQ), Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mauritius, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. In 2023, SD Worx achieved a consolidated revenue of €1.058 billion.