Disadvantages of second-track reintegration

Reintegration of both employer and employee is often a challenge with a lot at stake. In case the employee cannot return to the current employer, a 2nd track process comes into the picture. Despite the efforts put into this, this type of integration unfortunately fails regularly. But what exactly does this mean for you? In this article, you will find out why reintegration via the 2nd track fails in some cases and what you can do to ensure that your 2nd track is successful.

Reintegration in the 2nd track is a job that requires a lot from both parties: you and your employee. A lot depends on it; if reintegration fails, your employee will unfortunately not be able to keep his or her job at your company. This situation brings tension to your employee. As a result, you can help maximise the possibility of successful reintegration by being mindful of the responsibilities involved.

A good assessment of possibilities and capabilities by a company doctor is crucial in this respect. The sharper this picture and the more realistic it is, the greater the chances of success!

Main drawbacks reintegration second track:

The main and most common disadvantages of a reintegration second track and often the reason a second track process fails are:
- Starting late in the process
- Poor planning combined with too few contact moments.

Prevent 2nd track problems and contact CareerSolution Reintegration in good time. We will be happy to help you. Click on our logo for contact information. If required, we will provide a no-obligation quote within 24 hours;

Below, we elaborate a little more on the biggest disadvantages of second-track reintegration:

There are numerous possible causes that have led to failure of second-track pathways.

- One important one is that reintegration starts too late. To make optimal use of the time available, the process should start no later than week 52, six weeks after the first-year evaluation. If this does not happen, employers quickly fall behind during the UWV assessment process after two years of sick leave.
- Furthermore, there may be insufficient planning and personal contact; which can often be traced back to a lack of commitment from the employer in question.
- The employer tends to reinstate the sick employee too quickly. However, such an approach can backfire on his or her reintegration. Consider, for instance, an employee who is overworked at home and ends up in chronic burnout as a result because the employer puts too much pressure on him or her.
- There is often poor mutual contact between employer and employee, which is usually detrimental to the recovery process.
- Although you may rely on the assessment of a company doctor, the UWV is ultimately the one responsible for decisions around reintegration.
- The employee does not participate sufficiently in the reintegration process. This may be due to a lack of accessibility for consultations with the employer and company doctor, but also because he looks little constructively at suitable work outside the organisation.
- Despite the employer being responsible for its own reintegration, in practice it is not advisable to handle this process alone. Reintegration is not a daily task for many organisations and often involves only one-off activity. too often, the match between employee and reintegration agency is also insufficiently considered. For example, always choose specialisation. For higher educated people, that is reintegration at CareerSolution but, for example, for employees from the education sector is reintegration at Onderwijs-Herstart most appropriate.

It is understandable that you want your sick employee back in the workplace as soon as possible. To guarantee proper absenteeism, we emphasise the importance of personal contact and a solid relationship with your employee. In this, give him or her enough space to return.

Exerting too much pressure hampers the reintegration flow or may even fail. The Wet Verbetering Poortwachter sets high quality standards for maintaining the absence file and recording progress during the reintegration process. By complying with these, you can avoid a sanction by UWV.

Should this not succeed sufficiently, the employer risks receiving a wage penalty:

If a sick employee has applied for WIA benefit and the UWV judges that reintegration is not as expected, we can oblige you to continue paying that person's salary for longer. The wage sanction can last up to 12 months, making dismissal temporarily impossible.

Extension of notice ban in case of wage sanction
The period you have to follow regarding salary payment during sickness is equal to what applies to the legal ban on notice during sickness. When we extend this period, the duration of the legal ban on sick pay is automatically increased as well.

Are there only disadvantages to reintegration second track? No fortunately there are also plenty of advantages:

To achieve success with 2nd track pathways, it favours if employees only accept 'suitable work'. Unfortunately, this does not always mean that the job is also nice. This can make the search for the perfect job difficult. However, having realistic expectations increases the chances of re-employment.
The Wet Verbetering Poortwachter requires good file creation to keep track of the progress of the process, which takes up a lot of time and energy. Although this also directly retrieves important information for UWV evaluations, extra attention needs to be paid to personal contact with those involved to achieve real success.

Start 2nd track on time. Starting immediately when 1st track is not yet completed will prevent employees from being at home for long periods and losing their employment as a result.

It is crucial for the company doctor to gain an accurate understanding of the employee's capabilities. The better one understands what can be achieved, the greater the success rate.
Next, it is advisable to engage a reliable reintegration specialist. Reintegration requires expertise, which is often out of category for regular employers. Given the financial risks involved, it is wise to use a reputable reintegration agency externally.
UWV will analyse all details of the same file to determine whether the second phase is going well or not; if the latter occurs, it may result in financial penalties for the employer.