Second line labour reintegration means that you, as employer, are required to assist your chronically sick employee in finding another suitable job. Your obligations are stipulated in the Dutch law pertaining to reintegration after sick leave (The ‘Wet Verbetering Poortwachter’: the Dutch Gatekeeping Improvement Act). After two years of sickness, the Dutch Employee Agency will check whether you have met these obligations. If so, you will be allowed to dismiss your sick employee. If not, you may be required to continue to pay the wages of your employee for a maximum period of 1 year. Late start-up of the reintegration programme also gives the Dutch Employee Insurance Agency a reason to impose a fine on you. So you should certainly start with the reintegration of your employee on time!
However, the sick employee has obligations as well. They should, among other things, fully cooperate in the reintegration programme and accept all the work that may still be performed. The employer may take measures in the event of the repeated failure of the employee to participate in the programme. In the worst case, this will mean cessation of payment of the wages of the employee. The Dutch Employee Insurance Agency may subsequently partly or fully refuse to pay any benefits to which there is an entitlement.
As a certificated and recognised reintegration agency, Traject Consult specialises in effective and affordable second line labour reintegration. If we assist your sick employee, your costs will be limited to a minimum amount.
The reintegration programme aims to enable your sick employee to resume work as soon as possible and to provide conclusive reporting for the Dutch Employee Insurance Agency.