The Case Clarity – by Kirsten Freichmann

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When a manager brings up your sick leave, it’s easy to assume the worst. It can feel like you’re being called out or that something is “off.” But in most cases, that’s not what’s driving the conversation.

In the Netherlands, employers are expected to actively monitor sickness absence and step in early if patterns start to appear. Not because they don’t trust you, but because they’re legally responsible for preventing long-term issues and supporting sustainable return to work.

So if you’ve been sick multiple times, the thought process is usually more along the lines of:

• Is this just coincidence, or is there a pattern?
• Is there something work-related contributing to this?
• Do we need to take action now to prevent bigger problems later? I.e. send you to the “bedrijfsarts” (company doctor)?

It’s less about judgment and more about responsibility. So, no need to panic about this conversation! We will guide you through it.

What they can (and can’t) ask

A lot of people walk into this kind of meeting thinking: “They’re not allowed to ask me anything.” That’s not entirely wrong, but it’s also not the full picture.

Your employer cannot ask about:

👉 Your diagnosis
👉 Symptoms
👉 Medical details

But the conversation doesn’t stop there. It simply shifts focus. Instead, they can explore how your absence relates to your work. That often leads to questions like:

• Do you feel fully recovered when you return?
• Do you expect more absences in the near future?
• Is there anything at work that might be contributing?
• Do you need adjustments to stay healthy?

So while your health remains private, the impact on your work is very much open for discussion.

About the “bedrijfsarts” comment

That earlier comment about referring you to a company doctor probably stuck with you, and understandably so. When nothing happened afterwards, it’s easy to assume it was meant as pressure. In reality, it’s often less calculated than that.

Managers sometimes mention the bedrijfsarts early on because they know it’s an available option, not because they’ve already decided to escalate. A referral usually involves a bit more process: often HR input, timing, and a clearer sense of whether it’s actually needed. So what it likely meant was:

• “If this continues, we may involve a professional”
• Not: “You’re in big trouble right now”

It’s a possible next step and not an immediate consequence.

The mistake people make

Where things tend to go wrong is not in the meeting itself, but in how people approach it.

If you go in thinking you need to protect yourself by saying as little as possible, the conversation can quickly become stiff and unproductive. You keep answers short, avoid engaging too much, and try to stay on the safe side.

Understandable, but not very effective. From your employer’s perspective, that can come across as distant, uncooperative or like something is being withheld.

And ironically, that can increase the chance of formal follow-ups.

The balance that actually works

The sweet spot sits somewhere in the middle.

👉 You don’t need to share medical details
👉 You also don’t want to shut the conversation down

What works better is staying open on a functional level and showing that you’re willing to engage. That can look like this:

• Acknowledging the situation without going into medical detail
• Sharing whether you feel fully recovered
• Indicating if you expect things to stabilise
• Thinking along if adjustments would help

It doesn’t have to be or get complicated. Because, at the end of the day, this meeting isn’t about catching you out. It’s about figuring out whether anything needs attention, before it becomes a bigger issue.