Establishing a collective reintegration policy: how to go about it
The longer someone is off work, the harder it becomes to return. To increase the likelihood of a successful return to work, the law on reintegration was updated in 2022. The goal was to reduce the sky-high absenteeism rates in Belgium. How do you make subjects such as the collective reintegration policy relevant to your workplace? Absenteeism expert Christel Schabon gives you some pointers in this blog and a free webinar.
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Some important changes to the law
The occupational physician contacts the sick employee after four weeks After four weeks of absence, the risk prevention advisor or an assistant nurse will contact the absent employee. The purpose of this is to inform them about the various options for facilitating a return to work (see point 2), with or without modifications.
There are several paths to reintegration Even in the first month of absence, your employee (or their doctor) can request an individual reintegration program. As an employer, the soonest you can initiate a program is after an uninterrupted period of three months of work incapacity.
You record whatever has been agreed in a reintegration plan. If your employee is no longer able to perform their duties after the period of incapacity, make agreements about adapted work. This could include part-time employment, flexible work schedules or changes to the workplace or job content.
An individual (or ‘formal’) reintegration program is a fairly complex procedure. If the relationship between employer and employee is good, it’s definitely a good idea to consider whether a visit prior to returning to work could be a more efficient way to resume work.Put a collective reintegration policy in place It makes sense to give some thought to reintegration before an employee is actually absent from work, which explains the requirement to have a collective reintegration policy.
With such a policy in place, you can monitor your employees consistently and uniformly, making reintegration processes more effective. It also helps you to fine-tune your general well-being policy.
You are required to evaluate this policy regularly – at least once a year. To make this possible, you must provide the anonymised results of individual reintegration processes to your health and safety committee (OHSC).
The occupational physician must also issue an annual report. Drawing on these documents, you can adjust your collective reintegration policy and your broader well-being policy (e.g. psychosocial risks, occupational safety risks, industrial hygiene and toxicology, ergonomics).Dismissal for medical reasons is a separate procedure Dismissal for medical reasons has been separated from the reintegration process. It now takes place through a special medical force majeure procedure (Art. 34 of the employment contracts law).
Collective reintegration policy vs absenteeism policy
With the collective reintegration policy, the government underlines the importance of a systematic approach. A collective reintegration policy covers much more than just reintegration. It also involves risk prevention, promoting healthy and safe working conditions, increasing employability, effective absenteeism prevention and support, adapted work (on a temporary or permanent basis) and promoting well-being at work.
The legislation is thus consistent with the approach Mensura has been using for several years now – because a collective reintegration policy doesn’t stand alone, but builds on a comprehensive approach to absenteeism.
Want to learn more about a collective reintegration policy for your company?
Get to work on your policy! Discover the project plan
But how do you actually go about developing a collective reintegration policy? How do you choose measures that address real needs? And how do you convince your senior management that the key to tackling absenteeism is a targeted and consistent policy? Start from a plan: analyse, build support, shape your policy, implement and follow up.
There’s a government checklist (only available in French and Dutch) you can use as a source of inspiration for developing a plan.
A project plan is a useful guideline for developing your policy. This is a kind of audit in which a Mensura expert looks at your current situation, outlines expectations and develops your action plan for a sustainable, positive absenteeism and reintegration policy.
Does that still sound a bit vague and are you eager to get started on the project plan yourself?