Take out absence insurance

Although taking out absenteeism insurance is not required by law, it is often a wise choice. Did you know that a sick employee costs you on average €250 per day? The biggest cost is the continued payment of wages. In the Netherlands you must continue to pay the wages of a sick employee for two years. This must be at least 70% of the gross salary, but many collective agreements stipulate that you must continue to pay 100% of the salary for the first year. This can differ per CLA.

In addition, there may be costs for replacement staff to replace the sick employee. You may also suffer a loss of production, which will incur costs. Finally, as an employer, you naturally want your employee to return to work as soon as possible. Therefore, there are often costs for the reintegration. All in all, these costs can mount up, especially if your employee is ill for a long time. With an absenteeism insurance, part of these costs are reimbursed by the insurer. Many insurers also help you to prevent and reduce absenteeism in your company.

When to take out absenteeism insurance?

The question of whether you should take out absenteeism insurance cannot simply be answered with a yes or no. The situation is different for every company. The situation is different for each company. It is important that you take a good look at the financial capacity of your company. Suppose you have several long-term sick employees, can you absorb the absenteeism costs yourself? By mapping the risks of sick leave, you can make a good consideration. The financial impact of (several) sick employees is considerable. These are costs you would rather not have. Whether the risk of sick leave within your organisation is small or large is actually not important.

What is required to take out absenteeism insurance?

In order to make an offer and take out absenteeism insurance, we need some information about your company. When determining the premium, an insurer looks at various factors:

• The composition of your staff (age, number of part-timers, etc.)
• The sector or industry in which you work
• The absence figures of the last 3 years

What do I need to pay attention to when concluding the contract?

With absenteeism insurance, you want to cover the financial risk of sick employees. But what should you pay attention to when you take out absenteeism insurance?

1. Provide the correct absence data

When determining the premium for an absenteeism insurance, an insurer looks at the absenteeism history of the past three years. Therefore, it is important that you always provide the correct absenteeism data when requesting an offer. A higher absence percentage means a higher premium.

2. Provide the correct wage data

To calculate the premium, an insurer uses a premium percentage. The premium for an absence insurance can be calculated by multiplying this premium percentage with the total wage costs. The premium is on average between 1.5% and 5.5% of the total wage costs. It is therefore important that you provide the insurer with the correct wage data. The annual wage can be calculated including or excluding 8% holiday pay. Of course, you do not want holiday pay to be calculated over an amount that already includes it.

3. Look not only at the price, but also at the insurance cover

When taking out absenteeism insurance, it is important that you not only look at the price, but also at the coverage. So: what do you actually get for that price? Are the employer's costs or the costs for reintegration also included in the premium, or do you pay extra for that? By carefully comparing quotations, you will discover where you are better off in terms of premium and coverage.

Take out absence insurance directly through Alpina

At Alpina.nl you can request a quote for your absence insurance easily and without obligation. To do so, fill in some information about your company so that we can prepare an accurate quote for you.

The premium for an absenteeism insurance is reviewed every year. Here, we look at whether the company data has changed and whether there have been personnel changes, causing the age structure to change. In addition, the ratio between how much has been paid out in the past year and how much premium has been paid is taken into account. They also look at the absenteeism rate over the past three years and at the premium. Certain structural changes in a sector can sometimes lead to an adjustment.

Do you have any questions during or after conclusion of the contract? Then please do not hesitate to contact us! Our insurance specialists will be happy to think along with you and answer all your questions. You can reach us Monday through Friday from 08:00 to 18:00 by phone at 0800 - 688 37 12. Of course, you can also send us a message via chat, WhatsApp or Messenger.