What workload and stress truly cost an organisation
Figures from TNO and major occupational health services show that psychosocial workload, such as work pressure and stress, costs the Dutch economy billions of euros annually. Once an employee drops out with a burnout, you lose them for an average of over eight months. That is a personal tragedy and a major puzzle for the organization. But when we approach that absence purely as a lack of personal resilience, we miss the mark completely. If someone spends hours every week bogged down by administrative red tape or sluggish processes, an hour of mindfulness simply isn’t enough. The employee is given the tools to cope with the pressure, but the pressure itself remains unchanged.
Why 'amplitude' goes further than prevention
Fortunately, in occupational science, we are seeing a strong movement that helps us break this pattern. The well-known work of professors Wilmar Schaufeli and Arnold Bakker shows that within HR, we need to shift our focus from mere curation and prevention to what they call amplitie (amplition/promotion). Where prevention focuses on preventing illness among at-risk groups, amplition is about structurally strengthening and enabling all employees to flourish. It is not about preventing the battery from draining, but about actively recharging it.
According to their theory, engagement does not arise from the absence of stress, but from the presence of strong energy sources in the work. Think of social support from colleagues, constructive feedback, development opportunities, and, above all, operational autonomy. The work itself thus becomes the engine. When the work environment is designed in such a way that people can practice their craftsmanship and experience autonomy, they build a natural buffer against daily workload. Furthermore, their data shows that more than 40 per cent of Dutch employees currently lack that sense of control. This represents a massive, positive opportunity for HR.
How HR steps out of the reactive absenteeism role
In my view, this starts with an open conversation within our own profession. As HR teams, we currently spend an enormous amount of time on the back end of absenteeism: legislation, administration, and managing sick reports. It is valuable work, but it often forces us into a reactive role. What if we could direct a larger portion of our scarce capacity toward designing that stimulating work environment? By working together with management to build processes that give energy instead of draining it, we transform the culture from the inside out.
How to build a work environment that gives energy
Restoring that balance begins very practically by critically reviewing internal processes and cutting out the superfluous regulatory burden that hinders professionals. Next, we can increase operational freedom within teams; organizations with shorter lines of communication and more self-direction consistently show higher levels of engagement. Finally, it helps to set up our feedback tools so that we don’t just measure where the risks lie, but map out exactly what gives teams energy and where their batteries get recharged.
The question is not whether we can make employees more resilient to pressure, but whether we have the courage to make the work itself healthier. That is where sustainable employability begins: not by repairing the employee, but by building work that gives people energy. This not only lowers absenteeism rates but also creates a culture where talent continues to contribute with pleasure and craftsmanship.