You are sick and should be recovering. But your employer is causing extra stress — through pressure, accusations or unreasonable demands. How do you protect yourself when the source of stress is blocking your recovery?
You have reported sick. You should be resting, recovering, working on yourself. But instead you lie awake because of the email your employer sent. Or the phone call where you were told your "attitude leaves much to be desired." Or the threat that "consequences" will follow if you do not return to work soon.
The stress comes from all sides. Constant phone calls. Accusations about your reintegration. Doubt about the severity of your symptoms. Threats of a salary stop. Suggestions that you should just leave. Every interaction costs energy you do not have.
The irony: the employer who should be supporting your recovery is the very one undermining it. The stress your employer causes makes your symptoms worse, not better.
This is not normal and it is not acceptable. There are concrete steps you can take to set boundaries and protect yourself.
Two years of continued salary payment, reintegration costs and replacement — illness costs money. That financial pressure translates into impatience, frustration and pressure on you to get better faster at some employers.
Especially with mental health issues, understanding is often lacking. "But you look fine?" Employers who do not grasp the severity act as if you choose not to work. That misunderstanding is a source of pressure.
Sometimes the pressure is a deliberate strategy: putting you under pressure until you resign or accept a poor deal. Sometimes it is incompetence: the employer does not know better. The result for you is the same: stress that undermines your recovery.
Under article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code, your employer must ensure a safe working environment — including during sick leave. Behaviour that actively undermines your recovery may breach this duty of care. This can be relevant in legal proceedings.
If contact with your employer harms your health, the company doctor can advise limiting contact. For example: written contact only, a maximum of once every two weeks, or communication through a third party.
If the stress your employer causes worsens your symptoms, this is relevant for your reintegration file. The UWV assesses whether the employer did enough to support your recovery — not to impede it.
Setting boundaries is not a refusal to work. You may indicate that certain contact is burdensome, that you need time to respond, or that you prefer email over phone calls. Do this in writing and professionally.
Keep a log of every stress-causing contact. Date, time, content, how you felt. Save emails, WhatsApp messages and voicemails. This is your evidence if the situation escalates.
Tell the company doctor specifically what stress your employer causes and how it affects your symptoms. Ask whether the company doctor will include this in the report and whether restrictions can be recommended.
Send an email: "The frequency and tone of contact is impeding my recovery. I request you to communicate only by email going forward and to allow me reasonable response time." Professional, concrete, no accusations.
If employer stress worsens your symptoms, discuss this with your GP or therapist. They can confirm that the contact is harmful to your recovery. This information can be passed to the company doctor through you.
If the relationship is disrupted, mediation can help establish agreements about communication and conduct during your illness. A neutral third party can break through the pressure.
If the stress continues despite your requests, it is time for legal assistance. An adviser can formally address your employer about the behaviour and protect your position.
"I am called daily asking when I will return. Sometimes two or three times a day. It feels like surveillance."
Daily calling is disproportionate. Ask the company doctor to advise on a reasonable contact frequency. Send your employer an email stating that you are available, but request that contact be limited to once a week by email.
"My manager tells me how much extra work my colleagues have. It feels like a guilt trip."
This is emotional pressure. Work organisation is your employer's responsibility, not yours. You do not need to feel guilty about your illness. Respond professionally: "I understand my absence has an impact. I am focusing on my recovery so I can return as soon as responsibly possible."
"The company doctor advises a gradual build-up, but my employer thinks it is too slow and threatens a salary stop."
If you follow the company doctor's advice, a salary stop is not justified. Your employer may disagree with the company doctor, but should then request a UWV expert opinion. Until then, follow the company doctor's advice and document the threats.
"Every time I see an email from work, I get palpitations. I keep postponing opening them."
This is a signal that the contact is harming your health. Discuss this with your company doctor. Consider having someone else — a partner, family member or legal adviser — read and filter the emails. You must remain available, but that can also be indirect.
Stress from your employer during sick leave is a double burden. You are already sick and now your employer is also impeding your recovery. This situation is not only unfair — it can also have legal consequences for your employer.
MediRights removes the source of stress by taking over communication with your employer. We ensure boundaries are respected, unreasonable pressure stops and your employer knows you have legal representation.
Often the employer's behaviour changes as soon as legal representation enters the picture. The pressure stops, communication becomes more professional and you get the space to recover.
Let someone take over the burden. We ensure the pressure stops and you can recover.
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