As the owner of a foreign company, what obligations do you have regarding absenteeism if you open a branch in the Netherlands and hire employees in the Netherlands? What regulations apply? We are happy to explain that in this article.
No business owner wants a high absenteeism rate in his or her company. As an owner, you want your employees to do well as it positively affects productivity. Still, sometimes you can't escape it, and that's when a professional absenteeism policy is a must.
It is not common practice abroad to keep in touch with absentee employees. People are told, "We'll see you when you're better!" Even if that sometimes takes months. In the Netherlands, the Wet verbetering Poortwachter obliges the employer and employee to maintain contact with each other and actively work on returning, which is also included in the Plan of Action and evaluations.
Reintegration efforts
In my experience, no country is as comprehensively equipped when it comes to absenteeism as the Netherlands. The Wet verbetering Poortwachter (WvP) requires the employer and employee, together with the affiliated health and safety service provider, to make efforts to reintegrate the absentee employee. This law was established to reduce the number of long-term sick employees as much as possible. If the company is based in the Netherlands, Dutch legislation applies. Sounds very logical, yet in practice we see that companies with headquarters abroad often do not meet the proper requirements.
As a manager of such a foreign company, it can be a hell of a job if an employee ends up in long-term absenteeism . Simply because the knowledge of Dutch health and safety legislation is not present. If the right steps are not taken in time, it can become quite a cost for a company. Not to mention that absenteeism can create extra workload for other employees, which can also cause increasing absenteeism .
Addressing absenteeism
De Arbodienst has professionals in-house to support and advise companies at home and abroad with regard to minimizing absenteeism and applying Dutch legislation. Time difference, English communication, knowledge of Dutch labor law and applicable legislation, are no problem for our Advisors Labor & Health.
Bring it on
We believe that attention to the individual employee is also the most important principle in the foreign organization. The employee is stimulated to take control over his or her own (work) happiness, development and employability, and if necessary in reintegration. Let this exactly be the basis of strong absence management, at home and abroad!
Getting started with employability
Would you like to know more about our vision on absenteeism and employability of your employees? Then also take a look at our website, here we already give small tips for starting the conversation, like in the article "Drinking coffee, that's how you do it!".
Foreign company with Dutch employees: What legislation applies?
As the owner of a foreign company, what obligations do you have with regard to absenteeism if you open a branch in the Netherlands and hire employees in the Netherlands? Which regulations then apply? We are happy to explain this to you in this article.
No business owner wants to have a high absenteeism rate in their company. As the owner, you want your employees to work well, as this has a positive effect on productivity. Nevertheless, sometimes you cannot avoid it and then a professional absence policy is a must.
Abroad, it is not customary to keep in touch with absent employees. They will say, "See you when you are feeling better!" Even if that sometimes takes months. In the Netherlands, The Eligibility for Permanent Incapacity Benefit (Restrictions) Act (Wet Verbetering Poortwachter (WVP), in Dutch) obliges the employer and employee to maintain contact with each other and actively work on returning, which is also included in the Plan of Action and evaluations.
Efforts for reintegration
In my experience, no country is as comprehensively equipped as the Netherlands when it comes to absenteeism. The Wet Verbetering Poortwachter (WVP) obliges the employer and the employee, together with the affiliated health and safety service provider, to make efforts to reintegrate the absent employee. This law was introduced to reduce the number of employees on long-term sick leave as much as possible. If the company is based in the Netherlands, Dutch law applies. This sounds very logical, but in practice we see that companies based abroad often do not meet the right requirements.
As a manager of such a foreign company, it can be a hell of a job for you if an employee is absent for a long period of time. Simply because there is a lack of knowledge of Dutch health and safety regulations. If the right measures are not taken in time, this can be very expensive for a company. Not to mention that the absence of an employee can lead to an additional workload for other employees, which can also increase absenteeism.
Approach to absenteeism
The Arbodienst has professionals in-house to support and advise companies at home and abroad with regard to minimizing absenteeism and applying Dutch legislation. Time difference, English communication, knowledge of Dutch labor law and applicable legislation, are no problem for our Labor and Health Advisor.
Bring it on
We believe that attention for the individual employee is also the most important starting point in a foreign organization. The employee is encouraged to take control of his or her own (work) happiness, development and employability, and if necessary in reintegration. Let this exactly be the basis of strong absence management, at home and abroad
Getting started with employability
Would you like to know more about our vision on absenteeism and employability of your employees? Then take a look at our website, where we already give advice for starting the conversation, such as in the article 'Drinking coffee, that's how you do it'.
