Absence prevention: how to prevent sickness absence in your organisation

What is absence prevention?

Absence prevention is the set of measures with which you, as an employer, prevent employees from dropping out through illness. Where case management only begins after a sick report, prevention of sickness absence focuses on the phase before: keeping employees healthy, energetic and employable.

Working preventively on sickness absence goes further than separate actions such as a fruit basket or a one-off workshop. It is a coherent approach in which policy, insight into figures, leadership, health and working conditions come together. On this page you read which eight themes belong to it and how to start step by step.

Why absence prevention pays off

The cost of absence

A sick employee costs more than just the wages that continue to be paid. There are also costs for replacement, guidance and lost productivity. In addition, workload for colleagues increases, which raises the risk of new absence. A day of absence costs an employer a considerable amount per employee on average. With long-term absence the costs add up quickly.

That is why reducing sickness absence is not only an HR topic but also a business-economic choice. Every euro you invest in prevention is a euro you do not have to spend later on recovery and replacement.

Curious what absence prevention can deliver for your organisation? Calculate it below.

Legal obligations

As an employer you also have legal obligations around healthy and safe working. You are responsible for good working conditions and for mapping risks in the workplace. Source: Working Conditions Act (Dutch) If an employee does fall ill, in the Netherlands you generally continue to pay wages and, together with the employee, you have reintegration obligations. Source: Dutch Labour Authority A good preventive approach helps you meet those obligations and prevents you from falling behind the facts.

Healthy, engaged employees

Reducing absence delivers more than lower costs. Employees who feel seen and work in a healthy environment are often more engaged and stay with your organisation longer. Prevention thus contributes to productivity, job satisfaction and a stronger employer brand. Healthy employees have more energy and focus, so they perform better and work more motivated. In addition you retain knowledge and experience in your organisation, and a team in which colleagues do not constantly have to cover for each other experiences less workload and a better working atmosphere.

Absence policy and protocols

Clear policy is the foundation of every approach. Whoever draws up good absence policy records what is expected of employer, manager and employee. Think of agreements on reporting sick, contact during absence, the role of the company doctor and how you work together on return. VitsAll helps organisations with this: from sharpening the absence question to shaping absence policy that keeps working.

Strong policy also looks ahead. In addition to agreements for when someone is sick, you describe how you prevent sickness absence: which signals you take seriously, how often you hold absence conversations and which preventive measures you deploy.

The difference between prevention and case management is important here. Want to know what case management is? In short: guiding an employee from the sick report through to reintegration. Prevention makes sure that guidance is needed less often.

Policy only works if managers carry it out. An absence management training helps managers recognise signals, hold the right conversation and know when to refer.

More about absence policy & case management

Action plan for absence prevention

Policy on paper is a start, but a concrete action plan makes it real. In such a plan you translate your goals into actions: what will you do, for which teams, who is responsible and when do you measure whether it works?

VitsAll always works in the same order: first measure, then act. With the VitsAll Risk scan, in collaboration with TNO, we first map sustainable employability and risks per employee. Only then do we deploy interventions that fit those insights, so every measure has a clear reason.

Choose preventive measures that fit the risks you see in your organisation. A team with high workload needs something different from a team with a lot of physically heavy work. So work with a few targeted actions instead of a long list of general initiatives. Examples are:

• fixed moments at which managers start the conversation about energy and workload;
• adjusting workplaces and schedules for teams with physical complaints;
• programmes around movement, nutrition and relaxation;
• clear agreements on availability outside working hours.

Also record in your plan how you follow progress. That way, after a few months you see which measures really reduce absence and where to adjust.

More about absence prevention

Absence registration and analysis

Without figures you steer on gut feeling. Good absence registration shows how much and how often absence occurs, in which teams and for how long. It helps to first be clear about what absence is: in this context an employee's absence through illness, so not leave, for example.

In the analysis, look not only at the absence percentage but also at reporting frequency and duration. A lot of short-term absence can point to workload or a disturbed balance, while long-term absence often has other causes. Those patterns tell you where prevention delivers the most.

To record and analyse absence, many organisations use absence software. Such a system makes trends visible and helps you step in on time. Want to look further than today's figures? With the VitsAll Risk scan you also map, in collaboration with TNO, the absence risks that are not yet visible in your figures.

More about measuring & analysing absence

Preventive health examination for employees

A preventive medical examination (PMO) gives employees insight into their health and gives you, as an employer, an anonymised picture of the health risks in your organisation. Think of questions about lifestyle, workload and mental health, sometimes supplemented with a physical check.

Employers are required to offer employees a PMO periodically. Source: ArboNed Participation is voluntary for the employee and individual results are confidential. A PMO works best when you translate the results at group level into concrete measures.

Employees sometimes wonder whether a preventive medical examination at the GP is the same. It is not: a PMO via the employer focuses on health in relation to work and is usually carried out by the occupational health service or a specialised party.

More about occupational health, risk assessment & pmo

Preventing work stress and burnout

Psychological complaints are an important cause of long-term absence. Source: results of the VitsAll Risk scan, in collaboration with TNO (2025–2026) That makes work stress one of the most important themes within absence prevention. Stress at work is not always a problem: short peaks are part of it. It becomes risky when the tension lasts and there is too little room for recovery.

Recognising causes

It often starts with workload that is too high: structurally more tasks than time, unclear priorities or little influence over your own work. Conflicts, unwanted behaviour and an unsafe working atmosphere also play a role. Together these factors fall under psychosocial workload, a risk you must limit as an employer.

When that strain lasts too long, employees can become psychologically ill from their work. That affects not only the employee but also the team and the organisation.

Signals you can recognise as an employer

Employees do not always say by themselves that things are not going well. So watch for changes in behaviour and energy. Employees who walk around with burnout complaints often search online for what burnout feels like or take a burnout test. Signals you can notice as a manager include:

• a persistent exhausted feeling, even after a weekend or holiday;
• trouble concentrating, more mistakes or procrastination;
• irritability, withdrawing from the team or, on the contrary, working excessively;
• more frequent short-term absence or physical complaints without a clear cause.

What you can do as an employer

The aim is to prevent burnout instead of repairing it afterwards. Make sure of a realistic division of work, regular conversations about workload and a culture in which employees can say without risk that it is getting too much. Employees who experience that their employer keeps pushing while they are already running on their reserves drop out sooner.

Has an employee dropped out anyway? Keep in mind that the recovery period after a burnout is often long. Source: results of the VitsAll Risk scan, in collaboration with TNO (2025–2026) That underlines how much there is to gain with prevention. Also read how VitsAll works on wellbeing at work.

More about work stress & burnout

Sustainable employability and vitality

Absence prevention and sustainable employability are extensions of each other. Sustainable employability is about whether employees can do their work healthily, motivated and productively, now and in the future. Organisations that invest in it build resilience and thereby also reduce absence.

Every sector has its own accents. With sustainable employability in education it is often about workload and collective agreements, while sustainable employability in healthcare is strongly linked to physical strain and irregular shifts. The underlying principles are the same for every employer: measure, invest in a targeted way and keep following.

A vitality policy makes that concrete. A good example of a vitality policy combines attention to movement, nutrition, relaxation and development, tailored to the needs of your employees. Think also of vitality in the office: standing meetings, healthy lunch options and moments to move around.

Want to know where your organisation stands? VitsAll helps you measure sustainable employability with the TNO DIX.

More about sustainable employability & vitality

Occupational risks and prevention

The risk inventory and evaluation (RI&E) is the starting point of healthy and safe working. In an RI&E you map all risks in your organisation, from physical strain and hazardous substances to workload and unwanted behaviour. Every employer with staff is required to have an RI&E. Source: Working Conditions Act (Dutch)

The RI&E comes with an action plan in which you describe which measures you take, who is responsible and when it must be finished. That connects the RI&E directly to your broader approach to absence prevention. Keep the RI&E up to date, for example after a move, reorganisation or new activities.

A prevention officer can help you with this. This employee thinks along on the RI&E, advises on measures and is a point of contact for colleagues.

More about occupational health, risk assessment & pmo

Physical strain and ergonomics

Complaints in the back, neck, shoulders and arms are a common reason for absence. Source: results of the VitsAll Risk scan, in collaboration with TNO (2025–2026) They often develop gradually, from working in the same posture for a long time or from heavy lifting. That makes physical strain a theme where prevention delivers a lot.

An ergonomic workplace is the basis. But what does that mean exactly, and what must a good workplace meet? Think of an adjustable desk and chair, a screen at eye height and enough light. Setting up the workplace correctly is just as important as the furniture itself, also for employees who work from home.

In addition, ergonomic working is about behaviour: adopting an ergonomic posture, regularly alternating between sitting and standing and taking breaks in time. Ergonomic aids, such as a laptop stand, a separate keyboard or lifting aids, make that easier.

In more complex situations you can bring in an ergonomist. Wondering about the meaning of an ergonomist? That is a specialist who adapts workplaces, working methods and aids to people. Also read why movement at work is an important addition to a good workplace.

More about physical strain & ergonomics

Step-by-step plan: how to start with absence prevention

With absence prevention you do not have to do everything at once. With these six steps you build an approach that fits your organisation.

1. 1

   Map your current absence

   Analyse absence percentage, reporting frequency and duration per team. That shows you where to start.

2. 2

   Look beyond the figures

   Use your RI&E, a PMO or a risk scan to also see the risks that have not yet led to absence.

3. 3

   Choose a few targeted measures

   Focus on the biggest risks and the teams that benefit most from extra attention.

4. 4

   Involve managers

   Give them the knowledge and the room to recognise signals and start the conversation.

5. 5

   Record it in policy

   Put the agreements in your absence policy, so prevention does not remain a one-off project.

6. 6

   Measure again and adjust

   Repeat the measurement after a fixed period and see what works. That keeps your approach up to date.

VitsAll helps you with every step: from defining and measuring absence to shaping lasting policy. See our approach in three phases or read how you reduce absenteeism with a data-driven approach.

Frequently asked questions about absence prevention