Going on vacation with orange absenteeism

Why is it that summer vacation is such a stressful time for clients? I, Labor & Health Advisor Rianne van Helden, regularly sit down with management and executives. Lately, I hear them mostly about the issue of "vacation planning" and how they are going to manage it. Here, staff shortages are often pointed out as the cause. I often try to challenge my clients to solve this problem from the perspective of absenteeism.

The average absenteeism rate in the Netherlands, last reported by CBS, is 5.7% (quarter 1, 2023). In an organization of 500 employees, this would mean that 28 to 29 employees are absent due to absenteeism. Perhaps they are even currently sitting at home completely. So are we talking about a staff shortage or underutilization of hidden capacity?

I then explain to my clients that a large portion of the absentee population can be partially employed and this helps them in their recovery process. This is, in fact, the orange absentee category. Orange absentees are the employees with real limitations, but also real possibilities. When those real capabilities are deployed in appropriate work, it actually helps in the recovery process. Did you know that this orange category accounts for over 80% of your total absenteeism ? Therefore, this offers many opportunities to combat the "staffing shortage.

In the organization where 28 to 29 employees are absent due to absenteeism, this means that you can assign approximately 22 to 23 employees to work partially, modified or substitute. By having the right conversation and staying in conversation, agreements can be made together on appropriate deployment. After all, employees themselves know their jobs best, also know best where the possibilities lie and what they can handle.

Using your orange absentee workers appropriately will not only help you fill in the gaps in vacation schedules. More importantly, it supports and promotes your employee's recovery process which may also reduce the need to fill gaps in schedules after the vacations. In my opinion, two birds with one stone.

A common piece of advice within absenteeism and its prevention , is to engage in the good conversation. Are you curious what this "good conversation" entails? Then contact your Labor & Health Advisor or read one of our website articles to learn more.