Sick leave
Respellion wishes to provide a good physical and psychological working environment and strives towards making the workplace an attractive place for the individual as well as preventing absence due to illness, by offering an exciting daily worklife with unique development opportunities. We believe that open and honest communication will help to reduce absenteeism, support and retain long-term employees even when dealing with difficult and sensitive issues.
The sickness and absence policy is made in respect of the employees on leave and the overall operation of the company, in order to accommodate everyone. We all have an obligation to be aware of each other’s mental and physical well- being, so it is important that we help each other. Respellion has relevant and competent experience in this area and will support the employee as much as possible, while the individual employee is respectfully obligated to keep Respellion informed.
According to the (in Dutch) Wet Verbetering Poortwachter (WVP), the employee and employer are jointly responsible for resuming work as quickly as possible in the event of incapacity for work due to illness.
We will briefly explain a few points below. The extensive document can be found here: Absenteeism Protocol
Reporting sick
If you want to call in sick, you can report sick in the morning at the people officer role between 8:30 and 9:00. During the phone call, this colleague will ask you when you think you will be better and discuss what you are working on and what may need to be transferred. This colleague will communicate your absence in Microsoft Teams.
If you become ill during the working day and want to go home, you report this personally to the role people officer. When you are recovered, we kindly ask you to call the role people officer.
During your sickness
When you are sick, make sure you are available on your phone so that we or the external health service (Arbodienst) can reach you. We will keep in touch to hear how you're doing. When your nursing address changes, you must also inform us.
The Gatekeeper Improvement Act sets out the efforts we both need to make to speed up your recovery. In the Absenteeism Rules, see the link above, you can find more about this. Read this at least when you are sick.
Company doctor
If you are sick for approx. five days, the Medical Case manager of the Health and Safety Provider named GOED will probably contact you. During this conversation, questions will be asked regarding your health issues. Expect questions about prescribed medications, physical/ mental struggles or issues related to work or private life that could affect your health. Try to answer the questions in the best possible manner. That way, the medical case manager can help/ guide you accordingly during this time of illness. This call will take place unannounced.
When you have been ill for (almost) 6 weeks, a next appointment will be scheduled. This appointment will be held so that a Problem Analysis can be made. A written report will follow, ask the contact person at GOED for log-in details so you can view the Problem Analysis.
Do you dread it? Don’t worry, all these steps are here to help/support you! Feel free to contact the People Officer when you are nervous about this. Together you can prepare for this conversation, so any doubts or insecurities can be addressed before the scheduled appointment with the Medical Case manager of the Health and Safety Provider named GOED.
▶️ Last but not least: all medical conversations with GOED are confidential, the employer will not receive any details.
Obligation to continue payment of wages
If you cannot work due to illness, we will continue the payment of the salary for the first year in full. In the second year wages of 70% are paid.
Sick during holidays
If you become ill during your holiday, you must inform us as soon as possible, i.e. by telephone, stating your holiday address. After your return, you must be able to submit a 'medical certificate' (drawn up by a doctor during the illness) to the occupational health and safety service. This medical certificate states the duration, nature and treatment of the incapacity for work. Based on this declaration, the occupational health and safety service will advise Respellion on the return of holidays.
On holiday during illness
If you want to take time off during the period of illness, to go on holiday, you do so in consultation. Sometimes you will need a 'statement of no objection' from the occupational health and safety service. With this statement, you will submit a request to be allowed to go on holiday. We will decide whether to grant the holiday. Your holiday should never be an obstacle to your recovery.
Taking leave during reintegration
When taking leave, colleagues who can partly perform their own work will have to deduct the days of leave for the entire working day/week from their leave balance. This is because you have also accrued the balance of leave over the entire working hours.
For example: you have a 36-hour contract, and you are 50% incapacitated for work. So you are currently working 18 hours a week, temporarily. Do you want free time during this reintegration? Then you must apply for 36 holiday hours.
Cosmetic/aesthetic treatment
Are you considering treatment of a cosmetic nature? For example, you want to get rid of glasses and therefore undergo an eye laser treatment. Or injectables, or a modification to your nose or breasts, or an eyelid correction? If there is no medical indication, then it is a purely cosmetic procedure, and the colleague is not entitled to leave of absence: sick leave as well as special leave for visiting a doctor f.e
So without a medical indication, a colleague must have the treatment and/or procedure performed on their own time or take vacation leave for this purpose.
It is important for the colleague and the role People Officer to make clear agreements about this prior to the period of absence.
Complications after surgery
A different situation arises when cosmetic surgery leads to medical complications that prevent a colleague from working. This does constitute a legitimate reason for calling in sick and continuing to pay wages during sick leave.