Active absence policy: keep absent employees close
Has an employee called in sick? Today, that situation is about much more than simply saying “this person is not here for a while”. The focus is now on prevention, empathetic follow-up and a smooth return to work — including from a legal perspective.
That is why your absenteeism policy needs to include an active absence policy. It helps your organisation follow up absences in a structured and people-oriented way, without making it feel like control.
What is an active absence policy?
An active absence policy defines what happens when an employee is off work due to illness. It ensures that:
contact between employee and employer is maintained;
everyone knows what happens during an absence;
the return to work is properly prepared.
Certain elements of your absence policy must also be included in your work regulations.
What about the collective reintegration policy?
An active absence policy does not stand alone. It is closely linked to the collective reintegration policy. Together, they form your absenteeism policy: a well-considered framework for keeping your employees sustainably at work.
The absence policy focuses on the period during the absence, while the collective reintegration policy contains information about your approach to prevention and how you support employees once they return, in other words, after their absence, for example through adapted work.
Do you have your absenteeism policy developed by Mensura? Then an active absence policy and collective reintegration policy are automatically included.
Why is an absence policy so important?
An absence policy brings more clarity and structure to the way your organisation deals with sickness and absences. The key idea: you stay in contact with absent employees in a respectful way. As an employer, this helps you remain “close” and lowers the threshold for employees to return to work.
By communicating openly and warmly, you also prevent follow-up from feeling like control. This, in turn, strengthens mutual trust: your employees feel supported and not forgotten. So it is much more than a legal must-have.
Active absence policy: get started
There is no standard legal template for your active absence policy, but these are some important building blocks:
clear agreements on sickness notification and contact moments
Who contacts the employee, and how often?
Who is responsible for follow-up?
a clear division of roles: managers, HR, prevention advisers, occupational physician, etc.
Important: every individual follow-up process takes the employee’s personal situation into account. Your absence policy provides structure, but it is not set in stone.