Absenteeism in the Netherlands decreases, but remains higher than usual
Long COVID is a major cause for the increase in number of sick days
In May 2021, the average absenteeism rate in the Netherlands dropped to 4.3% (from 4.5% in April 2021). That was the first decrease since January 2021. The figures of occupational health & safety services HumanCapitalCare and ArboNed—which are both part of the HumanTotalCare group and jointly work for approximately 1 million employed persons—show that the peak of the third Covid-19 wave is behind us. Nevertheless, Covid-19 still plays a significant role and the absenteeism rate has remained substantially higher than usual for the same period before Covid-19 (3.9% in May 2019).
Impact of Long COVID
Ten percent of the sick leave days are related to Covid-19. Although the number of new cases is decreasing and most employees are able to return to work soon after recovering from Covid-19, a small group continues to experience problems for a longer period of time. The number of sick days taken by this group of people as a result of long-term effects of coronavirus, also known as Long Covid, is increasing. “Guidance for this group needs to be personalised. Together with the employee and the employer we examine the individual possibilities,” says Jurriaan Penders, medical officer and director of medical issues at HumanCapitalCare. “However, this takes time. Consequently, the impact of Covid-19 is still noticeable in the absenteeism rates.”
Holding on to positive experiences
Aside from the Covid-related absenteeism, HumanCapitalCare and ArboNed have noticed a decrease in the absenteeism rate related to 'normal' causes. Penders: “The advantages of working from home probably play a role in this. Despite the binding character of working from home, a substantial number of employees has found a better balance between work and private life as a result. We stimulate employers and employees to hold on to that. Combining the positive experiences from the past year with the best of the situation prior to Covid-19 allows employers and employees to continue to perform optimally and prevent absenteeism.”