What does Autonomous management mean for you as a manager?

Since 2005 employers (in the Netherlands) are no longer required to have a health and safety team that follows up on absenteeism among employees, but instead have a choice between a safety-net or customised measures. By opting for customised measures, you ensure yourselves that the right professionals are available to help with absenteeism. The only requirement is that you make use of the services of a certified company doctor.

Under the Autonomous management model, you as manager have a crucial role to play in handling absenteeism, productivity and employee happiness and satisfaction at work. You are close to them and know (if things are working properly) what is going on in their lives. Not just at work, but also at home. If you display good leadership, and create a working environment where safety, trust and autonomy exist, then you are extremely well placed to influence absenteeism and to improve employees fitness for work.

Why? Because employees who are doing work that suits them and their lifestyle make different choices to those who are not. Did you know that roughly half the times someone calls in sick they wonder if they really need to do so? And that a large number of sick days are not actually medical in nature, but arise from private, work or motivational issues? Employees who care about their work take less sick leave. Sometimes of course things happen which mean that a person really can't work. By creating an open culture where people can talk to you if they are wrestling with something, you can seek a solution together. In many cases, this will help you prevent (long-term) absenteeism.

As managers you can do a lot to help each other, but of course that works so much better if the top of the organisation also opts for autonomous management and displays sound leadership and gives you as a manager enough autonomy to make the right choices yourself. They, after all, are the example for the whole organisation and leading from the front encourages people to follow.

Under the Autonomous management model the employee is the person who actively defines the steps to take, takes ownership and is proactive. The employee is obviously the only one who can make changes to their lifestyle, how they deal with their health and eventual recovery. From a legal point of view, they have a contract of employment which requires them to show up and work. The employer's role is only to keep on paying them when they are unable to work due to illness or other reasons. That also has to happen. The employee remains the active party, including during convalescence. No-one ever really recovered by sitting on the couch and doing nothing.

In the case of someone reporting sick without a medical cause, the company doctor working in an Autonomous management organisation needs to send the employee back to talk to the manager. Staying "off sick" is not a valid solution, and a different solution to absenteeism needs to be found.

When someone is on sick leave for a medical reason, then the company doctor will assist them. Under Autonomous management, he/she will leave space for the employee and the manager to come up with solutions themselves, where necessary. The support system starts with the employee, with the company doctor relying on his or her strength. Complaints are taken seriously, and the focus is on finding out what is possible. Also how sources of motivation can be harnessed to achieve changes.