Improve sustainable employability and reduce absenteeism

The training doesn't have to be online, but an online format makes it easier for employees to take part. Research shows online sessions are just as effective as in-person ones. Training attention happens mostly through daily practice, while the workshops support that process. To give as many employees as possible the chance to join, we prefer an online training.

Participants get a workbook at the start with a piece of theory and short exercises for each week. They also receive audio recordings of the exercises. Some exercises can be done during daily routines like brushing your teeth, showering or doing the dishes. So it doesn't cost any extra time. Other exercises take about 12 minutes to train attention while sitting quietly.

All exercises are aimed at training attention. The goal is for participants to work and live with more focus and awareness. That's why the exercises are directly applicable in daily life, for example while brushing teeth, eating or walking. Each week also includes a special 12-minute attention training done while sitting.

The training has weekly group workshops with up to 15 participants. People practise in a safe and comfortable way by responding to concrete questions, without having to share personal stories. So everyone feels at ease and can fully practise with attention.

Innerleaps' awareness trainings build on evidence-based programmes such as MBSR, MBCT and WorkplaceMT. The foundation rests on 12 scientific studies, including multiple meta-analyses and randomized controlled trials. The evidence is strong enough that the U.S. military has incorporated attention training into its official doctrine (U.S. Army Field Manual 7-22), and organisations like Google, Apple, Microsoft, Nestlé and Unilever have implemented similar programmes.

Innerleaps participants show measurable improvements in exactly the areas where most organisations feel the pain: 65 to 72% experience less stress 60 to 84% show a reduction in burn-out symptoms 64 to 77% become more resilient 58 to 60% are more productive at work 57 to 78% sleep better The risk of long-term sick leave drops by 70% (from 54.4% to 16.4%) Importantly, these effects are sustained for at least 12 months after the training. This is not a temporary boost, but lasting behavioural change.

Based on conservative calculations, ROI ranges between 497% and 775% within the first year. For a group of 15 participants, this yields annual cost savings of €42,834 to €66,816. The returns come from three sources: 15 to 21% reduction in absenteeism, 5 to 8% productivity gains and 5 to 8% lower turnover. Want a calculation for your own organisation? Innerleaps provides an ROI calculator where you can input your specific absenteeism, salary and turnover figures.

Innerleaps improves performance by optimizing working memory, the mental "workspace" where thinking, deciding and acting take place. This happens through three mechanisms: First, relevant information is selected faster and irrelevant information is suppressed more effectively. Focus increases, distraction decreases. Research shows up to 24% improvement on attention tasks (Jha et al., 2021). Second, stress and pressure normally occupy a large share of working memory. When that pressure decreases, capacity is freed up for the task itself. Third, working memory becomes more efficient: better results with less neural effort (Bailey et al., 2020). Employees perform sharper and have energy left at the end of the day.

Sustainable employability means employees can keep working in a healthy, motivated and productive way throughout their career. In practice it usually breaks down at the same point: long-term work stress. A quarter of all absenteeism in the Netherlands is stress related. Innerleaps tackles that cause. Employees learn to spot and regulate tension early, so dropout is prevented rather than repaired.

An absenteeism reduction programme is a structured approach to bringing sick leave down. Programmes that only steer on reintegration arrive too late. Innerleaps focuses on prevention. Over six weeks employees train their attention and stress regulation. In a study among Unilever employees the risk of long-term absence fell from 54.4% to 16.4% (De Bruin et al., 2018, University of Amsterdam).

Yes. Employees who feel less tension and enjoy their work more are less likely to leave. Turnover is also more expensive than absenteeism. Replacing someone quickly costs between half and one and a half annual salaries.

Reducing absenteeism only works structurally if you step in before people drop out. A quarter of all absenteeism in the Netherlands is stress related. Our training teaches employees to recognise stress signals early, so absenteeism does not just fall but stays low.

Participants notice a difference after the first workshops, and that effect builds up over the six weeks. Straight after the 6-week training, 70% report experiencing less stress. It also lasts: research shows the training is still effective a year later.