Staff shortages increasing sick leave: Company doctors

Widespread staff shortages lead to higher absenteeism as businesses try to do the same or more work with fewer people, and overworked employees are pushed to burnout. The professional association of company doctors NVAB and health and safety services said this to BNR.

“Company doctors see the consequences of staff shortages and high work pressure daily,” Boyd Thijssens of NVAB said to the broadcaster. “People who always functioned well fall over or are in danger of falling over.”

According to Thijssens, one problem is that it takes too long before people go to the company doctor with their mental health complaints. “That only happens after they've fallen over, but then they are already sick,” he said. “People don’t know that the company doctor is there even if they aren’t sick yet.” People often also have a wrong image of the company doctor. “They think he’s checking if they’re really sick. But he wants to prevent you from getting sick.”

Health and safety service Arbo Unie told BNR that people’s workload is increasing due to the shortages in the labor market. And that is causing people to stay home sick more often and for longer. ArboNed noticed a “slight increase in psychological absenteeism” and worries that it will continue to rise.

ArboNed urged employers to encourage working from home, so employees have to travel less and can organize their own time. “Also, take a critical look at the work that really needs to be done now and postpone what can be done later to prevent unnecessary psychological and physical overload,” the service said to BNR.