Occupational health consultation: faster insight into what is possible

25 March 2026

As an HR professional, you want to prevent unnecessarily long absenteeism, for both the employee and the organisation. You want to know: What can my employee still do? What is a sensible next step? And how do I keep the process moving? From month three, an occupational health consultation gives you clear insight into the employability and re integration options of the employee in question. This creates a sense of calm, direction and control.

For an HR professional, lack of clear insight into an employee's capabilities almost always delays the re‑integration process. An occupational health consultation can then break the deadlock. You get rapid insight into what work is realistic and appropriate at the time. This helps you take the right steps sooner, keeping the absence process shorter and more manageable.

Additional service

“Talking to clients, we realised there was a need for an additional service besides that of the occupational physician," says Susan Dankers, senior employment expert at HumanCapitalCare. "Employers wanted to have more control over rising long-term (mental health) absenteeism and were asking for solutions that could help in this regard. In this context, an earlier occupational health consultation offers clear added value: at an early stage, not only is workload capacity examined, but also the workload. This allows the occupational health expert to give concrete advice based on the workload-workload capacity consideration, thus contributing to more responsibility and control on the part of both employer and employee."

Occupational health consultation in practice

How does this consultation work in practice? We first speak to the manager and then to the employee. In a three-way conversation, we bring everything together. This is followed by concrete advice, coordinated with the occupational physician. Immediately applicable steps are identified that bring movement to the dossier.

The advice you receive is objective and closely aligned with workplace practices. Concrete insights that you, the manager and the employee can take forward immediately. This makes it easier to take decisions and creates more support within the team.

You also find that the consultation provides support for managers. Managers do not always have the knowledge or experience necessary to manage the re‑integration process properly. Clear guidance from the employment expert gives them more confidence and direction.

Finally, the consultation makes an important contribution to creating a good dossier structure. In complex pathways or possible WIA‑steps, this is particularly important. A well-founded and carefully constructed dossier provides a sense of calm, clarity and prevents discussion afterwards. Thus, an employment consultation helps you make the process not only faster, but also stronger and more professional.

Basis: successful deployment & scientific research

As part of her role, Susan has been doing the occupational health consultation for some time. “For several years, the employment expert has already been successfully consulted at an early stage with various clients. The idea for this came about after we started providing this service in region south, inspired by my participation in scientific research. Research by the Labour Knowledge Centre (AKC) and Impact Centre Erasmus shows that preventive and early deployment of the employment expert has positive effects on the return to (suitable) work at several levels. Moreover, previous research showed that this deployment can lead to an average 31.7% increase in wage value (Hulleman & Brinkman, 2017)."

As an HR professional, you want clarity quickly so that re‑integration does not stall unnecessarily. Early intervention helps you potentially reduce absenteeism and reduce the risk of relapse. You also coordinate more easily with managers, employees and the occupational physician because everyone works with the same insights.
This creates a supported plan that is realistic and feasible.

Tips for HR‑professionals

1. Don't wait until month ten
Is re‑integration stalling? Engage an employment expert as early as month three. Early insight prevents later hassles.

2. Use the three-way conversation as a turning point
Ensure manager and employee are well prepared. The three-way conversation works best when everyone knows: this is the moment when we make choices together.

3. Make expectations clear upfront
Explain that the consultation focuses on options, not limitations. This makes for a more open conversation.

4. Use the consultation strategically in complex cases
In the case of psychosocial problems, reciprocal absenteeism or ambiguity in workload, an independent view helps enormously.

5. Embed the advice immediately in the action plan
Incorporate the advice directly in concrete actions. This keeps the momentum