Three bottlenecks stand in the way of getting a grip on sick leave: too little insight into modifiable causes, too little knowledge about sick leave management and too little time to arrive at a structural approach.
All this goes hand in hand in an absenteeism process. For example, in compound absenteeism. "Does a long-term sick employee's return to work stagnate? Then I often see that the employer does not know what to do and does not see this as an urgent situation. While quick and adequate action is often needed. For example by making an urgent appointment with the company doctor or starting a re-integration track 2. Doing nothing, acting too late or doing the wrong thing can lead to longer sick leave and thus more costs. I also regularly see these types of wrong choices lead to problems with the WIA application. UWV then judges the reintegration efforts of the employer as insufficient and imposes a wage payment penalty of 52 weeks. So then you have to continue paying wages for up to 52 weeks longer and continue the reintegration. This is a very undesirable situation for all parties."
The solution: The Absenteeism Consultant
With the knowledge that many organizations could use extra help with sick leave, Schouten Zekerheid has created a new service: The Leave Consultant. Organizations facing problems in the area of sick leave or reintegration processes can turn to Schouten Zekerheid for the necessary expertise. Through secondment, the Verzuimconsultant can also tackle multiple problems simultaneously. "At a large elderly care organization, I brought the high absenteeism rate down during a secondment project and, at the same time, unblocked a number of long and complex absenteeism cases," Souverein says.
"With almost 20 percent absenteeism, one in five employees there was not at work every day. Yet daily care for all residents had to continue. That's not doable with chronic understaffing. In addition to the long-term sick leave cases, as an Absenteeism Consultant I also tackled frequent short-term sick leave and gave the managers in the organization tools to deal with this themselves. How do you talk about it? That you can train. We want to be a knowledge partner for organizations in this."
The Verzuimconsultant can also be used by organizations that do not yet purchase any products or services from them. Souverein: "The service is separate from a policy or insurance, but is cast in a form that is appropriate for an organization.
Getting started yourself
With The Absenteeism Consultant, Schouten Zekerheid aims to provide employers with a sustainable solution. "The best result is when organizations feel more confident about what steps to take in a sick leave process and how to prevent absenteeism." What should be done when and what are the consequences of what actions? What are red flags in a file? If you have a better understanding of that as an organization, you can come to a sustainable solution in that yourself. I want to teach organizations knowledge and skills that they can use to get started themselves."
Structural approach
Every absenteeism problem is different, and so The Absenteeism Consultant's approach is also customized. "Whether you opt for a subscription to spar as needed, an in-company training for your managers, a secondment or simply improving your absenteeism protocol: the service is designed to make and keep organizations as self-reliant as possible. As an employer, you retain control and ultimate responsibility. You cannot transfer that to another party. But with De Verzuimconsultant you have a reliable knowledge partner who is always at your side."
Do you have a case where you want to consult an independent specialist? Or do you need an extra pair of hands that will get straight to work? Then contact Marleen Souverein.
Our experts are happy to schedule a no-obligation consultation
