Companies › Burnout prevention programme for companies
My employees are taking a lot of sick leave. What can I do?
Updated · Lon Clinic
Short answer: frequent sick leave is a signal, not the problem. Find the pattern first (which teams, which months, what kind of absence), without looking at individual medical data. Overload, conflict or a difficult manager is often behind it. Fixing the cause cuts absence more lastingly than tighter control.
Steps
- Analyse absence by team and by month (no individual clinical data).
- Run an anonymous burnout and psychosocial risk questionnaire.
- Hold return-to-work conversations: "is anything at work contributing?"
- Offer fast access to medical and psychological support before people reach their limit.
- Review workload and management in the teams with most absence.
See also return to work after burnout and the burnout cost calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Should we tighten absence control?
Control alone tends to push people to work while ill. Fixing the cause cuts absence more lastingly.
Can we look at employees’ medical data?
No. Look at patterns by team and month, never at individual clinical information.
General information. It does not replace legal advice or an individual clinical assessment.