What is absenteeism?

Absenteeism means an employee does not turn up for work because of 'illness'. We deliberately put 'illness' in quotation marks, because it does not always mean someone is unfit for work. Absence can also mean that an employee is less able to work because of psychosocial issues (during a divorce, for example). Absence can be short, but it can also last much longer. There is a difference between short-term and long-term sickness absence. When someone is away for more than six weeks, it is classed as long-term absence. In those cases the situation is assessed by an occupational health physician, who advises on the next steps. As the employer, you then make agreements together with the employee, for example about the work they are still able to do. Is someone away for more than 42 weeks? Then it must be reported to the Dutch Employee Insurance Agency (UWV). After two years, the employer may apply for permission to end the employment.

What causes absenteeism?

There are all kinds of reasons why people call in sick. One third of long-term absence has a psychological cause. Think of people with burnout, people who are overstretched, or people dealing with depression or an anxiety disorder. Another cause of absence is workplace conflict. It happens regularly that people call in sick following a disagreement or another conflict at work.

Why is absenteeism a problem?

Absence can have a major impact on a business. It not only creates extra costs when people drop out; as an employer you also lose a large part of the experience and knowledge built up within the company. Reason enough for employers to invest in bringing absence down.

What does absenteeism cost?

It costs an enormous amount of money when someone is not at work. But which costs should you actually account for as an employer, and what are they for? A single day of absence costs an average of 250 euros. That covers the salary you continue to pay (in whole or in part), cover for the absent employee, lost revenue and/or production, absence support and, where needed, reintegration. Absence is expensive, so the trick is to limit it by stepping in early and making sure people get the right help in time. Better still: prevent absence altogether. You do that by investing in sustainable employability.

How do you prevent absenteeism?

To keep your people healthy and able to work for as long as possible, there are various measures you can take as an employer. It is important to provide a safe environment with a sound health and safety policy. Make sure the atmosphere at work is good, and make sure people get enough exercise so they stay physically fit as well. It also helps not to focus on what is going wrong, but above all on what is going well. Give each other continuous feedback so people can keep improving. Research also shows that reducing workload does not prevent burnout. To lower the risk of burnout, it is important that people are deployed where they get the most energy. Those sources of energy help them cope better with the pressure of work. Reducing workload does not prevent burnout, research shows. To reduce work stress, it is important that people are deployed where they get the most energy. Those sources of energy help them cope better with the pressure of work. Finally, research shows that employees who feel they can develop their talent and learn new things are absent less often. So as an employer, make sure you give your people the opportunity to keep developing.