“Properly arranged, so we can focus on what matters”

Sickness absence is never pleasant. Not for the employee, and not for the employer either. But when the guidance is right, it doesn’t have to turn into a headache. At BQA Consultancy, they know this from experience. The IT consultancy has been working with Capability for more than fifteen years. In that time, even the complex cases have been handled well: tight on the process, with genuine care for the people involved, and without BQA Consultancy having to dive fully into the details themselves.

Winand van Drenth, Managing Director of BQA Consultancy, talks about fifteen years of being taken off his hands, two WIA processes and why trust is the foundation of any good partnership.

Quality at the core

BQA Consultancy stands for ‘Be Quality Aware’, a name that was chosen deliberately. The company provides specialist consultants in quality assurance, software testing, test management and data engineering. Today the team consists of nearly fifty professionals, spread across several regions of the Netherlands.

“Over twenty years, we’ve grown from a small start-up into a mature organisation with a clear culture,” Winand says. “Workplace happiness is something we hold in high regard, and a quality mindset is in our DNA. That shows in how we treat people. Our employees are absolutely not numbers. The lines are short and engagement runs deep.”

It’s precisely that people-first approach that makes BQA Consultancy demanding when it comes to the partners it works with. Certainly on something as sensitive as illness and sickness absence.

Fifty employees, real responsibility

Fortunately, BQA Consultancy rarely deals with long-term sickness absence. Even so, Winand knows better than most what’s at stake when an employee is off sick. “At a company of fifty people, you feel it immediately. A sick employee brings in no income, but the costs carry on regardless. We feel that impact every day.”

An organisation of that size also doesn’t have a full-time HR department. “Absence management, the Gatekeeper Improvement Act and proper follow-up during reintegration: these are areas that require expertise we don’t apply on a daily basis and that change regularly. Working out what exactly needs to happen every single time costs time we simply don’t have.”

“The need was clear,” Winand says. “A partner who safeguards the process, takes the right steps at the right moment, and so prevents BQA ending up with a bill from the UWV after two years of sickness. We want to be taken off our hands, with a partner we can trust.”

Guided through the process

They found that partner in Capability, where Mariëtte Brands provides them with structured guidance as a case manager. She holds the conversations with employees who are off sick, keeps an eye on progress and keeps the case file watertight. Over the course of the partnership, she has also guided two BQA Consultancy employees through a full WIA process. “Would we rather it had gone differently? Yes, of course. But if it does go that way, you want to know it’s properly arranged. That the file is complete and meets all the requirements.”

Tracked right down to the deadline

Through XpertSuite, Capability’s absence management system, Winand automatically receives alerts for every deadline in the Gatekeeper process. “I don’t have to wonder whether something is correct or on time. The system keeps track of that. For non-urgent questions, I use the chat, which also gives me direct access to the file. Mariëtte always responds quickly, and that works well. And if something comes up that can’t wait, I just pick up the phone. Things are always dealt with promptly.”

Clear to both sides

“Mariëtte is thorough and straightforward, both with the employee and with me. She’s there to keep the process moving and she stays on top of it. What I appreciate is that she’s just as clear when something isn’t possible. Employees know where they stand, and I do too, as the employer. That brings peace of mind. The fact that Capability picks up what’s expected in such a constructive way, that’s exactly what we need.”

For the person and the organisation

Sickness absence will never be a pleasant subject for Winand. “It’s never enjoyable. It’s about people being ill, and you feel that. But when everything is properly arranged, that’s what makes the difference. For the employee who knows they’re seen, and for the employer who knows the process is being followed and the file is in order.”