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Flu keeps the Netherlands off work 

Absenteeism in the Netherlands stays high despite fall in January

Utrecht, 22 January 2023 – In January 2023, the average rate of absenteeism in the Netherlands rose to 4.9% (compared with 5.1% in November 2022). Flu continues to be the main cause for short-term absenteeism. That was revealed from statistics from health and safety services ArboNed and HumanCapitalCare, both part of HumanTotalCare and serving around 1 million employees.

Flu main cause of absenteeism

At 4.9%, the average rate of absenteeism in January 2023 was slightly lower than last year (January 2022: 5.0%). Then, however, working from home was still compulsory and Covid played a much bigger role in absenteeism. In line with the trend, ArboNed and HumanCapitalCare are seeing flu as the main cause of absenteeism in January. Over half of those absent reported flu symptoms in January, while around 1 in 10 people said they had Covid.

Highest absenteeism in healthcare and industry and in big companies

Average absenteeism in SMEs was 4.4% in January, as usual lower than in big companies: 5.8%. Redmer van Wijngaarden, director medical affairs and company doctor at ArboNed: ‘One of the strengths of SMEs lies in the social cohesion and employee involvement with each other and with the company, but mutual dependence probably also plays a role. That is reflected in the average rate of absenteeism in SMEs.’ Furthermore, the occupational health and safety services are still seeing big differences between sectors. As usual, healthcare (6.9%), industry (5.8%) and education (5.2%) have the highest rate of absenteeism.

Custom work

Van Wijngaarden: ‘The measures required to prevent absenteeism mainly depend on the situation at that moment and the type of work you do. That is often custom work, whether it concerns flu or preventing mental stress. It's important to continue talking to each other and giving employees a degree of control. If their symptoms are not too serious, for example, discuss what they could do. Now that hybrid working is embedded in many companies, where possible employees may be able to do something from home. These may seem small measures, but they can make a difference for a company's continuity.’