The Special Issues in Workplace Well-being course focuses on specific workplace well-being issues such as prevention and management of workplace risks, mechanisms for implementing prevention or managing these risks, management and administration of enterprises, stress, burnout, alcohol and drugs, musculoskeletal disorders, etc. These issues are mainly addressed in terms of their impact on companies (social climate, costs, management of organisations, etc.), on society (social protection, compensation, etc.) or on the individual situation of those concerned (accidents, stress, depression, absenteeism, therapy, etc.). In this context, law is only one tool among others, alongside the sociology of organisations, psychology, management, etc. It is therefore necessary to contextualise law and its application and to learn to approach each question in an interdisciplinary manner. At the end of the course, the student: • will be able to take clear and complete notes during oral presentations (lectures, practical work, conferences, etc.) on which he/she can rely to master the subject; • will have a good grasp of the different areas of well-being at work and the interactions between them; • have a good knowledge of the different actors in the field of well-being at work and their respective roles; • be able to address any issue related to well-being at work from an interdisciplinary perspective; • be able to contextualise the law and its application by drawing on other disciplines; • will have a thorough grasp of the subject matter of the course, the various concepts covered and will be able to define precisely the framework within which the subject matter and concepts are addressed; • be able to formulate a good research question correctly; • be able to answer, according to a rigorous methodology, any research question related to the course theme; • will be able to rigorously verify and contextualise sources; • will be made aware of the issues of prevention and management of risks at work as well as the different areas of well-being at work; • will be able to work collectively.
The course has three main objectives:
In addition to helping students acquire new knowledge, the course aims to enable them to develop new skills in subjects other than law.
The course aims to raise students' awareness of the realities in the field and provide them with the essential basic knowledge and skills in the area of health, safety and well-being at work.
The course is approached in the form of 'capita selecta' which may vary from year to year, depending on current events and ongoing research. In this sense, the course closely links teaching and research results.
In addition to more traditional aspects such as the application of legislation relating to well-being at work, its history and its purpose, the course focuses on risks at work from the perspective of protecting the health and safety of the various parties involved.
The health of workers is often put at risk. Moreover, suicides at work, burnout, depression, psychosomatic disorders, etc. seem to be on the increase. Is this really the case? To what extent is the organisation of companies at fault? Can the code of well-being at work prevent and manage this type of risk? What can be done when the causes are not exclusively attributable to the work environment? How can legal protection and individual well-being be linked? How can we integrate welfare policy into company management? How can management be adapted to guarantee the health and safety of workers? What kind of support is possible for the people concerned? These are just some of the questions that can be addressed from an interdisciplinary perspective.
The course combines face-to-face lectures and discussions with students, homework (educational courses and assignments) and sessions via Teams.
As far as possible, the concepts discussed in the course are illustrated or addressed through current events or through the intervention of external speakers. In addition, a site visit or an outdoor activity related to the course themes is organised, where possible, with the help of the students, during the year. Depending on the activity, safety shoes may be required. The teaching method is essentially participatory. The emphasis is on interactivity, which requires a high level of student involvement, not only outside of class but especially during class. Each student contributes to the construction of the course by his or her participation and presence in the oral course. In this sense, attendance and participation of each student is highly recommended. In order to enable the student to actively participate in the course and engage with the teaching method, a basic knowledge of the normative framework of well-being at work is necessary. During the first month of the course, in addition to participating in the lessons, the student is therefore required to acquire this material on his/her own. For this purpose, documents and other e-supports (videos, websites, etc.) are made available to the student on webcampus. However, the student is free to collect other sources of information.
The assessment consists of two parts: the first part is based on continuous assessment and the second part is based on a group oral presentation.
Continuous assessment is based on:
The main objective of continuous assessment is to ensure that each student acquires the basics of the subject from the start of the course so that they can prepare for the company visit, benefit from the possible participation of external speakers and successfully complete the oral part of the assessment.
Students are required to obtain at least 50% of the total points.
The final exam (oral) is the result of research and reflection. The terms and conditions of this work are communicated at the beginning of the course (during the month of February), as they are adapted to various organisational factors, such as the number of students enrolled, the possibility of organising a company visit, etc.
The guidelines for the work are as follows:
To pass the exam, it is essential that students demonstrate, both in the formulation of the topic and in their response, that they have acquired the various learning outcomes targeted by the course (see above) and meet the course objectives. Scientific rigour is essential in the approach taken to answer the research question. Creativity and originality are strongly encouraged. The quality of the group work and active participation in the presentation session(s) are also taken into account in the grade awarded, which is the same for all students in the group.
Materials permitted for the oral presentation:
Students are required to obtain at least 50% of the total points.
A suggested reading list is provided to students during the month of February.
In addition, regular monitoring of social and business news is strongly recommended in order to make the connection between the concepts covered in class and real-world practice. In this context, the various HR (human resources) journals available in the library can be very useful.
Information documents, references, video links, etc. are regularly posted on Webcampus to illustrate the subject matter, supplement the information available and respond to current events.
Course notes on “special issues of well-being at work”, 2025-2026 (depending on the topics covered).
Various institutional websites (FPS Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue; Eurofound; OSHA; ARACT; ANACT; BeSWIC; etc.) provide readers with numerous tools related to well-being at work as well as very useful information, in the form of text or videos.
| Training | Study programme | Block | Credits | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor in Law | Standard | 0 | 3 | |
| Bachelor in Law | Standard | 3 | 3 |