Company doctors put under pressure by employers

Complaints sent to the foundation Burn-Out show that company physicians are increasingly being put under pressure by employers. Through diagnosis fraud, employers are trying to get sick workers out of their businesses.

Burn-out discovered that fourteen percent of Dutch employees face burn-out, or extreme work stress often related to exhaustion. An employee with burn-out is considered sick. Therefore the employer is obliged to continue to employ these workers. Since an employer does not benefit from sick employees because of the right to salary through periods of illness, the employee is often regarded as a high risk.

Stress in the workplace is a major problem among employees. Research undertaken by the health insurance company 'Zilveren Kruis' (Silver cross) shows that twenty-three percent of the 1, 300 respondents identified with the statement, 'I have to cope with burn-out.'

According to more than half of the respondents, the employer does not do enough to prevent stress in the workplace. Zilveren Kruis says that this has a negative impact on the mental health of the entire organisaion. However, healthy eating in the workplace would contribute greatly to improve this. Around forty-three percent of respondents indicated that the employer could remedy their stress by providing a healthy lunch.

If an employee still suffers from work exhaustion, the employer is required to ensure that the worker gets help so as to function properly, according to the 'Wet Verbetering Poortewachter' (Gatekeeper Improvement Act).

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