This week, the Week of Workplace Happiness and the Week of Vitality take center stage.

Two themes that come together perfectly in what I have been doing with Smile at Work for 20 years.

Because laughing together isn't just fun. During my laughter sessions and workshops, I see time and again what it does to a group: people get moving, let go of tension for a moment, gain new energy, and connect with each other in a different way.

And attention to job satisfaction and vitality remains important.

🇧🇪 In Belgium, on an average workday in 2025, 8.09% of employees were absent due to illness.

In the Netherlands, sickness absence amounted to 5.4% in 2025. Of the employees who were absent, 23% indicated that their last absence was wholly or partially work-related. Among that work-related absence, excessive workload was the most frequently cited cause, at 28%.

Of course, you don't solve high work pressure or absenteeism with a laughter workshop.

But job satisfaction is also about fun, connection, relaxation, and recharging together.

And that is exactly where laughing together has its power: it gets people moving, gives energy, and creates connection. ❤️

After more than 35,000 participants, it remains fantastic to see what happens when colleagues start laughing together.

Are you organizing a team day, staff event, conference, or wellbeing program? Book Geert for a laughter workshop or energizer and let your team experience it for themselves. 😄

Every Smile Counts.

Sources of figures: Securex, 2026 • CBS/TNO, National Survey on Working Conditions 2025.