Sickness absence starts with the employer, not the employee

Healthy organisations aren't created in the occupational health physician's consultation room. They're built in the workplace. At De Nieuwe Arts, the focus is on prevention, leadership and taking ownership. Rather than leaving the occupational health provider in charge, employers take the lead themselves – with managers playing a key role.

Two friends are driving off on holiday together and start talking about work. One has a supportive manager, great colleagues, plenty of autonomy and opportunities to develop. The other isn't so fortunate. His manager is difficult, he doesn't get on particularly well with his colleagues, his employment conditions are less favourable and he has less independence in his role.

During the journey, they're involved in an accident and both sustain exactly the same injury: a broken leg. Which of them is likely to spend less time off sick and return to work sooner?

The first one.

It's an example Boyd Thijssens, Medical Director at De Nieuwe Arts, often uses to illustrate an important point. “Sickness absence isn't simply a medical issue; it's largely a systemic one. Often, it's not the employee that's unwell – it's the organisation. At De Nieuwe Arts, we want to help organisations become healthier.”

The organisation is the patient

De Nieuwe Arts is an occupational health provider, but its approach differs in several ways from that of more traditional providers, says Thijssens.

“With us, the physician is the first point of contact. There are no additional layers, such as case managers. We believe an occupational health physician is best placed to quickly identify what's really behind an employee's sickness absence. Is it their health, their personal circumstances or something at work?”

If the issue is medical, the physician can address it directly. But sickness absence is often related to what's happening at work. In that sense, the organisation itself is the patient.

“As a partner to the organisation, we want to identify the underlying problem and help address it – provided the organisation is genuinely willing to change. Ultimately, the employer is responsible for managing sickness absence.”

And the focus extends beyond sickness absence alone. Prevention is equally important, as is strengthening the factors that are already helping people thrive at work. If you only take action once something has gone wrong, you're already too late.

Managers hold the key

De Nieuwe Arts can then support organisations in making the transition towards a healthier workplace.

“Once our physicians have identified where the issues lie, our advisors can step in,” Thijssens explains. “That might involve training managers, for example. In our view, managers are key to sustainable employability. They're the ones having the conversations with employees that really matter.”

Within our Eigen Regie Model, managers and employees share responsibility for both managing and preventing sickness absence. This reduces the need for intervention from the occupational health physician and helps organisations achieve results sooner.

The outcome? Shorter periods of sickness absence, lower costs and, ultimately, a healthier organisation.