Nearly 1.7 million people work in healthcare in the Netherlands. Yet the sector continues to face significant staff shortages. These shortages create new challenges for healthcare executives and HR professionals. In practice, we see that this can, for example, result in healthcare workers being hired who later turn out not to be sufficiently suited for working in healthcare. In this blog series, we discuss various employment law issues that may arise throughout the employment journey, from the recruitment process through to the end of the employment relationship.
While sickness absence rates in other sectors remain stable, they continue to rise in the healthcare sector. According to Statistics Netherlands (CBS), sickness absence in healthcare reached 8.2% in the first quarter of 2026. This means that, for every 1,000 working days, 82 days were lost due to illness. This represents the second-highest sickness absence rate in the past 25 years.
The increase in sickness absence among healthcare workers is concerning. The healthcare sector is already under significant pressure. When employees are absent, the workload for their colleagues increases further. This creates a risk that those colleagues will also become absent due to illness, causing sickness absence rates to rise even further.
What are the main causes of sickness absence, and how can healthcare organisations manage and reduce absenteeism?
1) Physical strain
Many healthcare workers perform physically demanding tasks every day. They frequently lift patients, stand for long periods, or perform repetitive movements. This can lead to back, neck, and shoulder complaints or repetitive strain injuries (RSI). Without appropriate equipment or a properly designed workplace, these complaints may persist for a long time or even become permanent.
2) Mental health issues
Working in healthcare can be mentally demanding. Employees are confronted daily with illness, death, and other emotionally challenging situations. Combined with high workloads, this can lead to stress, exhaustion, or burnout. According to figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS), mental health complaints are, after influenza and other viral infections, one of the main causes of sickness absence.
3) High workload
Due to staff shortages, healthcare workers often have to work additional shifts or overtime. As a result, they have less time to recover. A high workload is the main cause of work-related sickness absence. If workloads remain high for an extended period, the risk of mistakes and employee absence increases.
4) Conflicts and a poor working environment
Unclear agreements, poor communication, or tensions between colleagues can create significant stress. Conflicts are also more likely to arise when employees have been working under high pressure for a long time. If conflicts are not resolved in time, they may ultimately result in an employee calling in sick.
5) Personal circumstances
Problems outside work can also lead to sickness absence. Examples include informal caregiving responsibilities, financial concerns, or problems at home. In healthcare, where workloads are often already high, these issues can have an even greater impact.
6) Unhealthy lifestyle
Insufficient sleep and an unhealthy diet make it more difficult for employees to recover. This increases the risk of physical and mental health problems. A healthy lifestyle helps employees remain fit and able to work for longer.
Prevention is better than cure. Employers can take many measures to reduce the risk of employees becoming absent due to illness.
1) Invest in strategic workforce planning
Identify what staffing levels and skills your organisation needs now and in the future. Ensure that the right people are deployed in the right roles. In addition, a flexible workforce is often necessary to manage peak periods. This helps prevent excessive workloads and, consequently, high sickness absence rates.
2) Involve employees
Healthcare professionals know better than anyone what they need to remain sustainably employable. It is therefore important to involve them in developing policies on topics such as workload, career development, and organisational change. Investing in the needs of healthcare workers helps build an organisation where employees can work in a healthy and sustainable way.
3) Focus on prevention
Encourage employees to maintain a healthy lifestyle. This can be achieved through vitality programmes, workshops on stress management, workplace ergonomics, and healthy habits. Attention to exercise, healthy nutrition, and relaxation can also contribute to preventing sickness absence.
4) Respond to social developments
A good example is demographic change, including an ageing population and the increasing need for informal care. Many healthcare workers combine their jobs with caring for a family member or someone close to them. The Social and Economic Council of the Netherlands (SER) recently published its advisory report “Informal Care and Work in a Caring Society”. The report highlights opportunities such as flexible scheduling, leave arrangements, and increasing awareness among managers. Healthcare organisations that actively respond to these developments demonstrate that they value the person behind the employee. This also reduces pressure on employees and helps prevent high sickness absence rates.
5) Pay attention to mental health
Working in healthcare can be emotionally demanding. Employees should therefore have sufficient time to recover and discuss their experiences. Provide support through a confidential advisor, occupational social worker, or occupational psychologist. Understanding and flexibility regarding informal care responsibilities or other personal circumstances can also help prevent employee absence.
Do you have questions about employment law in the healthcare sector? Please contact Sietske Bos, lawyer specialising in Employment Law, or Ymke Stam, lawyer specialising in Employment Law.
Blog Series: HR in Healthcare
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