Human Resources Development Unit (Au-delà du stress

Liaison Entreprises et Universités
University of Liège
Faculty of Psychology and Education
Psychology and Clinics of Human Systems
Human Resources Development Unit

psychosocial risk diagnosis, burnout, health and safety, justice perceptions, work—home
interference, personnel selection, situational judgment tests
Questions ?
Olivier Van der Elstraeten
Technology Transfer Officer - Engineering
 +32-043498518
 [email protected]
Laboratory contact details
Laboratory Head
General Contact
Professor Hansez Isabelle
 University of Liège
(FAPSE)
Boulevard du
Rectorat, 5
4000 Liège
Belgique
 +32-43662092
 [email protected]
 +32-43662013
Main study areas and research topics
Human Resources Development is a challenge at this time, when competitiveness, flexibility and changes are omnipresent
in our companies. The challenge has to be met in terms of fulfilment and workers well-being but also in terms of expertise
and performance. The research unit VALORH addresses both topics through research and teaching as well as intervention
and counselling in organizations. The first theme, well-being at work, considers topics like psychosocial risks at work, job
stress, work engagement, burnout, work-home interference, absenteeism or early retirement through different
questions. How to implement a preventive approach of stress at work? How to diagnose it? How to set up and evaluate
interventions in the workplace? How to optimize working conditions in order to motivate senior workers to stay active
longer? The second theme, competence management/development, considers more particularly questions in relation to
competence assessment. Which job and personal resources are necessary in a particular job position? How to ensure that
workers have the opportunity to develop required resources to carry out their work? How to reconcile employability and
required competences by the company? In a practical way, how to design relevant selection tests and specific
assessments? VALORH Unit has developed a specific expertise in the development of situational judgment tests within
contexts of personal selection or career management.
Last Research Project
More information about the Universities & Higher Education Institutions expertise on www.reseaulieu.be
Page 1 / 3
Liaison Entreprises et Universités
Last Research Project
Diagnosis of psychosocial risks and well-being at work (WOCCQ method, www.woccq.be);
About burnout: diagnosis tool, prevention and technical response;
Analysis of flexibility practices/organizational changes and impact on well-being, design of flexicurity solutions;
Diagnosis of early retirement causes; age management solutions;
Diagnosis of work-home interference (WHI); improved WHI solutions;
Diagnosis of working conditions, safety climate, impact on safety behaviours and incidents/accidents in the
workplace;
Analysis of equity and justice perceptions in the context of organizational changes.
Development of situational judgement tests for personnel selection and career management purposes
Industrial application fields
Through these main activity areas, VALORH Unit has a particular interest in actual problems and needs of workers and
organizations in order to propose research, intervention method and innovative solutions.
Indeed ValoRH researchers have also developed a very strong expertise in questionnaires psychometric validation
including classical and IRT approaches (e.g. Rasch analyses), structural validity (Confirmatory factor analysis – CFA),
stability test, impact of item wording, convergent and discriminant validity, etc. This expertise was used for consulting
activities in more than one hundred organizations mainly in Belgium and in France.
Technologies offers description
The WOCCQ (Working Conditions and Control Questionnaire) is a method of collective diagnosis of the psychological risks
and well-being at work proposed by the VALORH. The diagnosis tool consists in three basic questionnaires which together
form the WOCCQ Package©. These were tested and validated in different languages (among others in French, English and
Dutch) on various samples of workers in Belgium and abroad. These questionnaires are available in French, Dutch and
English. Two options are available to fill in the WOCCQ diagnosis. The first option is pencil-and-paper format questionnaire.
The second option is an on-line format through the “WOCCQ Online” platform. Today, the WOCCQ package and our
expertise in psychosocial risks diagnosis are recognized at an international level as shown by the following information:
More than 70.000 persons have currently answered this questionnaire;
The database (representative sample of workers according to age, gender, sector of activity) contained at the
moment 50.000 subjects;
The distribution of this tool has been assured to different professionals sectors (the health sector, the public sector,
the private sector, the private manufacturing sector, the private service sector, the police) by means of online training
(currently 303 trainees) and a network of graduates (currently 374 graduates)
Examples of interventions in organization by VALORH Team : ARSEAA, Ministère de la Justice, Police fédérale, Air
Liquide, Caterpillar, Sogesma, Glaverbel, Electrabel, Groupe SAFRAN, Arcelor, Randstad France, Sud Presse,
Crédit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank (CACIB).
​For more information, please visit the website www.woccq.be
Services proposal
Diagnosis and actions plan processes in companies about stress, burnout, job engagement, motivation,
psychosocial risks, safety behaviours, absenteeism.
Development of situational judgement tests adapted to the specific context of an organization
Training proposal
More information about the Universities & Higher Education Institutions expertise on www.reseaulieu.be
Page 2 / 3
Liaison Entreprises et Universités
Training proposal
Sensitization about stress and burnout
Prevention of burnout through training of management (specific design including community of practices; experience
sharing etc.)
Related Lab'Insight Event
Au-delà du stress : burnout, addictions, décrochage professionnel,… que faire ?
Organisé le mercredi 7 mai 2014 à l'Université de Liège
Ce rendez-vous Lab'InSight a permis aux 6 chercheurs intervenants de présenter des outils de prévention, de diagnostic
et bien d'autres méthodes pouvant répondre concrètement au besoin des entreprises et organismes publics présents.
Après une séance pléniaire présentant les compétences des laboratoires et des exemples de partenariat
Recherche/Entreprise, un large débat s'est ouvert avec le public sur les thèmes du burnout et des addictions. Les
participants ont ensuite pu rencontrer les experts des différentes disciplines lors d'entretiens B to B et initier un dialogue
avec les Universités et Hautes Ecoles, en vue de possibles collaborations.
Travailler ensemble à l ère des réseaux
Organisé le vendredi 27 mai 2016 à l'ICHEC
More information about the Universities & Higher Education Institutions expertise on www.reseaulieu.be
Page 3 / 3