When to involve the company doctor as a manager?

Let's start with the times when you are legally obliged to involve the company doctor:

• Managing absences and reintegration of employees
  In the Law on Improved Gatekeeper it says that a sick employee must attend a consultation with the company doctor at the latest in the sixth week of illness. The doctor prepares a problem analysis, based on which you as manager, or the case manager, can prepare a plan to tackle reintegration. The company doctor will give both you and the employee concerned some advice about how they can potentially start work again, and assists the employee for as long and as often as necessary for sustainable reintegration.
  
  
• Medical examinations
  For some jobs, a medical examination is required. This is only permitted if the job requires the employee to comply with special medical requirements. For example, a pilot cannot have bad eyesight. Only the company doctor is entitled to perform a medical examination. At arboportaal.nl (Dutch) you can find out more about medical examinations. 
  
  
• Regular occupational health checks (PAGOs)
  Employees are entitled to a PAGO. This is a regular occupational health check. The company doctor checks if there are any risks involved in the work carried out which might lead to medical issues for the employee.
  
  
• Noticing and reporting occupational health issues
  Sometimes the conditions under which someone has to work can harm their health, causing people to suffer from occupational diseases. Examples are asbestosis, painters' disease (OPS) or black lung. The company doctor can notify and report this and provide information about personal protection equipment such as protective clothing, masks and ear protectors and other protective measures.
  
  
•  Second opinion
  Employees who disagree with how their own company doctor reached a conclusion have the right to go to another company doctor for a second opinion. This second company doctor reviews the matter and reaches their own opinion. They do not take over the treatment of the employee, but simply report their findings to the first company doctor who then continues with the treatment.

The company doctor of course not only knows a lot about illness and stress in relation to work, but is also a good source of ideas when it comes to prevention of occupational illness and absences. Both you as manager and your employees can therefore also call on the company doctor for help with prevention and advice about work and health.

Your colleagues also have a legal right to make use of the open appointments with the company doctor even if they are not sick. They can go to him/her for all kinds of queries about work, stress and health.

As a manager, you can go to the company doctor for advice on how to tackle prevention of absenteeism, reintegration options or improving the sustainable fitness for work of employees. If the company doctor has already spoken with you ahead of the initial consultation with an employee then he/she already has a better overview of the situation. You can also ask the company doctor specific questions.

The company doctor has a duty of professional secrecy, and is also covered by the privacy law (AVG). He/she may only share very limited information about an employee who is ill. He or she may not share any information about an employee's health with the employer.

When dealing with an absence, the company doctor may share the following information:

• the limitations and options for an employee and the extent to which the employee is incapacitated for work;
• the expected duration of the absence;
• possible advice on adaptations, type of employment or interventions that the employer can offer for reintegration.