Hospital facing rising short-term absenteeism

A hospital observed a structural increase in short-term absenteeism across multiple nursing wards. Team leaders noticed the mounting pressure, but lacked a clear understanding of the underlying causes and primarily reacted to issues as they arose.

HR also increasingly received reports of overload. Teams covered shortages and peak workloads among themselves, which inadvertently caused the strain to accumulate even further.

The situation

The challenge was not limited to absenteeism alone. The absence of a structured approach made it particularly difficult to intervene in a timely manner.

• short-term absenteeism was rising across multiple departments;
• team leaders did not always recognize early warning signs in time;
• understaffing and peak periods intensified the workload;
• teams compensated heavily on their own, allowing overload to persist.

The approach

Centrum voor Stressmanagement mapped out the key stress and absenteeism factors per department using assessments, interviews, and available absenteeism data.

Based on these insights, interventions were tailored for each department to align seamlessly with day-to-day operations.

Departmental insights

The primary causes and risks were made visible, ensuring that departments did not have to rely on a generic, one-size-fits-all approach.

Targeted team agreements

Teams established agreements regarding signal recognition, setting priorities, and actions to take when pressure increases again.

Integration into existing meetings

These agreements were integrated into regular team meetings. Team leaders took ownership, and brief evaluation moments were scheduled.

What changed?

The approach primarily delivered greater clarity and earlier intervention.

• absenteeism drivers were clearly identified per department;
• team leaders identified warning signs at an earlier stage;
• agreements became an integral part of regular team meetings;
• teams experienced greater control over workload and collaboration;
• after four months, absenteeism showed a downward trend.

Crucially, the approach was not implemented as an additional burden alongside existing tasks, but rather embedded directly into the teams' established ways of working.

Why this approach worked

Not every department faced the same challenges or required the same type of support. By first examining the specific dynamics within each department, interventions could be selected in a much more targeted manner.

Furthermore, agreements were not documented in a standalone plan, but directly linked to existing meetings and regular review moments. This significantly increased the likelihood that improvements would be sustained, even during peak periods.

“The agreements are straightforward, but they work. That made all the difference.”

Nursing Ward Team Leader · anonymized

Key takeaways for other organizations

• look beyond overall absenteeism rates and analyze the variations between departments;
• support managers in recognizing signs of stress and overload at an earlier stage;
• embed improvement agreements into existing team meetings;
• evaluate periodically to determine whether the chosen approach remains effective.

Does this sound familiar within your organization?

When short-term absenteeism rises systematically and teams increasingly attempt to manage the pressure internally, identifying where the greatest strain originates can provide crucial clarity.

Centrum voor Stressmanagement assists organizations in uncovering the root causes within each team or department and tailoring an effective approach accordingly.