Autumn begins with sharp rise in sick days

22 October 2024

In September 2024, average absenteeism rose to 4.6% from 4.2% in August. This puts the average absenteeism rate slightly higher than in September last year (4.5%). The number of sick days increased sharply in September as compared to August. The increase is largely explained by a rise in flu-like symptoms. This is based on figures from the occupational health and safety service providers ArboNed and HumanCapitalCare, both part of HumanTotalCare and jointly serving around 1 million employees in the Netherlands. Occupational health and safety service providers recommend taking preventive measures: paying more attention to basic hygiene and airing out rooms more often.

67% more sick days in September

Every year during the transition from August to September, there is a jump in the sick days. This is also partly because fewer people report in sick during the holiday period. This year, occupational health and safety service providers recorded 67% more sick days in September compared to August. “That’s a sharp increase in just one month,” said Redmer van Wijngaarden, Director of Medical Affairs at ArboNed. “We went from an average of 36 sick days per 1,000 employees in August to 60 in September. The outliers are education and healthcare. When so many employees are sick at the same time, it can create considerable challenges in the workplace.”

Attention to basic hygiene

“It also appears that the season when we usually get more absence notifications due to flu-like symptoms has started earlier than usual this year,” Van Wijngaarden pointed out. “Especially for those working in sectors where it easier for people to infect each other. We advise employers to pay particular attention to basic hygiene, such as washing hands more often. And if possible, to allow employees who have severe cold symptoms to work from home. It is also a good idea to air out rooms more often. Another preventive measure that employers can take is to offer employees a flu shot from mid-October, on a voluntary basis of course. If you do end up with understaffing issues, work together to see what tasks can be postponed. By planning ahead together, you can avoid increased pressure being placed on employees and any compromise to business continuity.”