An employee has been in absenteeism for a year, now what?

Suppose an employee has been unable to perform his own job partially or fully for almost a year. According to the Wet verbetering Poortwachter, a number of things have to happen around the end of the first year of illness and the beginning of the second year of illness. These include the preparation of a Functional Capability List (FML), an occupational health survey, the preparation of the first-year evaluation and possibly the start of a second track, in addition to the possible reintegration in the first track. These are quite a few things that can come your way in a relatively short period of time. But rest assured, with good preparation and the support of De Arbodienst this need not be complicated.

What the Labor and Health Advisors often notice is that managers and HR employees are often startled the moment they receive the letter from the UWV that the first-year evaluation must be completed. A common result is that supervisor and HR immediately shoot into action mode to follow all the proper steps in the WvP. While the supervisor and HR are in action mode, employees are still sometimes forgotten. The element that always comes back in these blogs is the communication between employer and employee. Especially around the first year of illness, where different steps follow each other in quick succession, it is important to clearly communicate with the employee what is about to happen, what the employee can expect and what the possible next steps are.

As an employer, you must also be aware of the impact on the employee of the steps taken in the absence process. It can be very confronting to hear an employment expert conclude that one's own work is no longer suitable, or can no longer be made suitable, and that other work with one's own employer is also ruled out. Many employees also need a moment to process this in order to fully commit to a track 2 trajectory.

Through good communication throughout the absenteeism process, an employee knows what to expect, what the possible outcomes are and what is expected of him or her. In the action plan that is drawn up around the 8th week of absenteeism together with your employee, the vision of employer and employee on absenteeism and reintegration is already asked for. By having open communication from the beginning about expectations, doubts or possibilities of the own job, the employee is saved a lot of stress and uncertainty around the first year of illness. Often it is not yet possible to say after 8 weeks whether the employee's own job is still suitable or not, but it must be and remain a topic of discussion during the absence process.

As you undoubtedly know, no two absenteeism reports are the same: each absenteeism case proceeds differently and each case involves different work or private matters. This also means that each absence file requires customization, and the steps that are taken in a file can also differ each time. For example, if it is clear from the outset that returning to your own job will not be an option, you do not have to wait a year before conducting an occupational health examination and starting a Track 2 program. It could also be that an employee has no possibilities for reintegration for two years. Then it could just be that no Functional Possibilities List, labor expert investigation or track 2 is deployed, but for example an expert opinion at the UWV is chosen.

Need advice on what steps to take when in the absence process? Contact your Labor and Health Advisor, they will be happy to discuss with you the best interpretation of the absence process.

How do you ensure an effective coffee moment?

1. Invite the employee by phone.

Especially in organizations where there is a lot of e-mail communication, I still see too often that invitations are sent by e-mail. This also sometimes results in a no show, which in turn causes frustration for the manager.

2. During the invitation, ask the employee to think about how to shape the coffee moment.

Because the manager gives an "open" assignment, this gives the direction to the employee. This prevents the employee from coming to coffee time feeling like he or she has to demonstrate his or her "sickness. In addition, it gives space to think about possibilities. This comes in handy later, when reintegration starts. And if this is also completely fine during reintegration, there is a good chance that the employee will continue this behavior after his or her recovery report.

If necessary, suggest alternatives: consider a walk outside, a coffee date with colleagues during the break, a tour or look around elsewhere in the company and so on.

3. Discuss with each other why the health and safety professional gave this coffee recommendation.

During the interview there is little or no discussion of the reason for the coffee appointments, they are often task-oriented. With the idea that the health and safety professional must have a good reason for it. Try to discuss this with each other. While talking it will become clear that perhaps more than coffee drinking is the goal. And this may offer opportunities to come to a reintegration plan together.

With these practical tools, I hope that "drinking coffee" during reintegration can serve as a powerful reintegration tool. If you have any additional tips of your own, don't hesitate to share them below the LinkedIn post. That way we can learn from each other. Curious about what else the Labor and Health Advisor can do for your organization when it comes to reintegration? Then contact us without obligation or visit our website for more information.