Since March 31, 2022, the French Labor Code no longer refers to QVT but to QVCT, quality of life and working conditions. This change in acronym is not cosmetic: it refocuses employers’ obligations on the actual working conditions, not on recreational side activities. Companies that deploy wellness solutions must now prove a link to the prevention of professional risks, including mental health.
QVCT and prevention of psychosocial risks: the new framework to respect
The shift from QVT to QVCT has changed the framework for mandatory negotiations within companies. Collective agreements now focus on work organization, actual workload, career paths, and material working conditions. Foosball tables and fruit baskets are no longer sufficient to meet these obligations.
The employer must assess risks in work organization and update the DUERP (single document for assessing professional risks). Mental health is an integral part of this assessment. Wellness solutions that do not relate to this prevention logic remain mere gadgets from a regulatory perspective.
It is in this context that specialized providers offer structured programs linking adapted physical activity, stress management, and prevention of musculoskeletal disorders. For companies looking to align wellness with legal obligations, it is possible to learn more about SanaVitae, whose offerings specifically target professionals.
The right to disconnect illustrates this shift well. In the absence of a collective agreement, the employer must formalize a charter after consulting the CSE. A topic perceived as related to personal comfort has become an HR governance issue, with implications for workload and the prevention of psychosocial risks.
Wellness solutions in the workplace: what works beyond mere display
The majority of competitors list actions (telecommuting, ergonomics, recognition) without distinguishing between what is mere display and what truly changes employees’ working conditions. Field feedback varies on this point: a nap room or a weekly yoga class may have a measurable effect in a 30-person SME, while going completely unnoticed in a group of 5,000 employees.
What seems to make the difference is the link between the deployed solution and an identified problem in the DUERP or in the feedback from the CSE. Three criteria allow for distinguishing a structured approach from a catalog of benefits:
- The solution addresses a documented risk (musculoskeletal disorders, excessive mental load, isolation in telework), not a managerial trend
- It is accompanied by follow-up indicators integrated into social reports or annual CSE reports, allowing for evaluation of its impact on absenteeism or work stoppages
- It involves managers in the deployment, because a wellness action imposed by HR without managerial support generates more skepticism than adherence
A WTW study from 2026 indicates that the majority of employers plan to evolve their wellness programs. This evolution is moving towards integration with other company policies (compensation, training, work organization) rather than siloed treatment.
Adapted physical activity and mental health: two underutilized levers
Adapted physical activity in the workplace remains marginal in France, even though available data on reducing MSDs and absenteeism are converging. The main barrier is not cost, but organization: offering sessions during working hours requires rethinking schedules, which many companies are not ready to do.
Regarding mental health, the regulatory framework pushes employers to go beyond telephone helplines. Integrating mental health into the DUERP requires identifying psychosocial risk factors related to the organization of work itself: overload, lack of autonomy, role conflicts, absence of managerial support.
Innovative solutions in this area often combine several approaches. Programs mix awareness-raising conferences, practical stress management workshops, and individual follow-up. Their effectiveness largely depends on the regularity and duration of the program. A one-off intervention during QVCT week is unlikely to sustainably change health indicators for teams.
What the data does not yet say
The available data do not allow for precise conclusions on the return on investment of wellness programs. Existing studies measure correlations (less absenteeism, better retention) without always isolating the program’s specific effect from other variables (economic conditions, salary policy, management).
This limitation explains why some leaders remain skeptical. To convince them, linking each wellness action to an indicator already monitored by the company (absenteeism rate, turnover, workplace accidents) remains the most credible approach.
QVCT negotiation and the role of the CSE: a concrete union lever
For employee representatives, QVCT constitutes a negotiation ground that goes far beyond a catalog of benefits. CSE representatives have an alert right in case of harm to employees’ physical or mental health. They can demand the updating of the DUERP and request expertise on working conditions.
Negotiating a QVCT agreement allows for measurable commitments: number of ergonomic positions to deploy, budget dedicated to prevention, frequency of internal surveys on psychosocial risks. These contractual commitments carry more weight than a wellness charter displayed in the break room.
- Require a prior diagnosis (RPS survey, ergonomic audit) before any wellness action
- Negotiate annual follow-up indicators integrated into the social report
- Obtain oversight rights on the choice of providers and the relevance of proposed interventions
The shift from QVT to QVCT gives employee representatives stronger legal arguments to influence employer choices. Quality of life at work is no longer an internal communication topic; it is a subject of collective negotiation with documented obligations.
Companies that treat wellness as a structural project, linked to the DUERP and collective agreements, achieve more sustainable results than those that pile up one-off services. The current regulatory framework pushes in this direction, and trade unions have the tools to demand it.
