Peak in corona infections obstructs the annual drop during the holiday month
In July 2021, the average absenteeism rate in the Netherlands remained at 4.2%, which was equal to the previous month. This is contrary to previous years in which absenteeism always dropped during the holiday month. The game changer is the peak in the number of corona cases in the month of July. This emerged from figures published by the occupational health & safety services HumanCapitalCare and ArboNed, both part of the HumanTotalCare group and jointly serving around one million working people.
Lots of corona-related absenteeism in July
The average absenteeism rate of 4.2% in July 2021 is considerably above the level of July 2019 and 2020. "During the past two years, this was 3.6%,” says Truus van Amerongen, medical officer and director of medical matters at ArboNed. "This peak in the number of corona cases was responsible for the many sick calls in July. And that's while we normally receive less sick calls during the summer months."
Expected drop in August
Van Amerongen: "We do expect the absenteeism rate to drop in August. In a short time the number of corona cases has declined considerably. Furthermore, a large share of working people has now been vaccinated twice. In addition, the month of August also benefits from the holiday effect: people unwind, recharge their batteries and report sick less often."
Going on holiday is worthwhile
As a result of the corona measures and restrictions in certain holiday destinations, some people postpone their holiday or even skip it. "Definitely don't do that," advises Van Amerongen. "A holiday is exactly the vital period for truly getting away from your work. Working too long can have adverse impacts on your health. That is why we advise employees to encourage their staff to take a holiday regularly. Taking time off from work and doing it on time promotes recovery and prevents employees from being absent because of wearing themselves out for too long."