Prevention that Works: From Good Intentions to a Lasting Approach

Every organisation wants the same thing: healthy, engaged employees who enjoy their work – and preferably without unnecessary absence. In practice, however, prevention often turns out to be trickier than expected. The right intentions are there, but daily pressures, scattered responsibilities and a lack of structure can cause good plans to stall.

“Many companies genuinely want to do something about prevention,” says Gert-Jan Vos, Chief Medical Officer at Adaptics (sister company of Capability). “But it’s often unclear where to start. From risk assessments to vitality programmes – lots of things happen in an organisation, but rarely in a coherent way. And it’s precisely that cohesion that makes prevention effective.”

Prevention Only Works When Everything Comes Together

Employers want to stay in control of health and employability but often struggle with questions such as: how do we identify risks, stay alert without over-medicalising, and prevent warning signs from being missed until it’s too late?

According to Gert-Jan, the key lies in cohesion and collaboration. “Absence is often preventable if we look earlier – and more broadly. Not just medically, but also at workload, communication or private factors.”

That’s why it pays to treat prevention as one integrated process rather than a series of isolated actions. “When everything sits with one party or a well-aligned team, you get overview and insight,” he explains. “Information flows better, signals are recognised sooner, and follow-up is smoother. That’s the difference between reacting and truly preventing.”

The Business Case: Prevention Pays for Itself

One day of absence can easily cost between €300 and €400. That means almost any preventive action pays for itself if it prevents even a single sick day. Add in the gains in productivity and retention of expertise, and the maths speak for themselves.

“A good conversation or a small adjustment in the workplace may cost a few hundred euros,” says Gert-Jan, “but if it prevents someone being off for weeks, that investment pays back instantly.”

Where’s the Real Value? Look at What’s Actually Happening

So where do the biggest opportunities lie? In many physical roles – such as technicians, production workers or cleaners – absence often stems from a mix of physical strain and personal factors. Lifting, repetitive motion, noise or high work pace can slowly take their toll.

“Sometimes people struggle with mild complaints for months but are too busy to act,” says Gert-Jan. “Until one day they simply can’t carry on.”

Psychosocial factors – like stress, pressure or tension within a team – are also growing across all sectors. In office settings, mental strain is now the number one cause of absence. The core message remains: look beyond work alone and see the person as a whole.

Example from Practice

“An employee in a busy production hall had long been suffering from fatigue and concentration issues. Only later did it emerge that he had hearing problems caused by years of working in noise. With a hearing test, proper protection and minor changes to his work rhythm, he could continue working. By spotting it early, small issues were prevented from becoming big problems.”

Turning Prevention into Practice

Prevention starts with awareness but ultimately requires action. Below, Gert-Jan shares some practical steps to bring prevention to life within your organisation.

Risk Assessment as a Starting Point

Keep your RI&E (Risk Inventory & Evaluation) up to date and translate the findings into clear actions, with owners and deadlines. Link them directly to your PAGO or PMO (occupational health checks), focused on your identified risks. “A proper PMO should include tailored advice from the occupational physician, based on your specific work risks,” says Gert-Jan.

PMO: More Than Just Medical

“Use the Preventive Medical Examination to look more broadly – physical, mental, vitality, work–life balance, energy,” Gert-Jan advises. “Do it more often and keep it simple – short quarterly questionnaires work well – and ensure proper follow-up: information sessions, coaching, workplace adjustments or a preventive consultation with the occupational doctor if needed. Without follow-up, a PMO has little effect.”

Preventive Consultations and Open Hours

“Every employee has the right to schedule a preventive consultation. It lowers the barrier to ask for help early – for instance with early stress, workplace friction or menopausal symptoms.”
Important note: feedback to the employer may only be given with the employee’s consent.

Train Managers to Spot the Signs

Not everyone is naturally skilled in having good preventive conversations. “Train leaders to recognise early signals – tiredness, irritability, drop in quality, short absences – and encourage them to ask: ‘How are you really doing, and what do you need?’”

Interventions on Two Levels

• Individual: coaching, workplace adjustments, referral (e.g. financial coach for debt issues), or a preventive consult with the occupational doctor.
• Team/organisation: leadership training, improved workload and rosters, enhanced psychological safety.

Collaboration That Strengthens Prevention

Task delegation actually strengthens prevention. Skilled case managers stay in close contact and spot early warning signs, while the occupational physician focuses on medical cases, complex issues and policy. This teamwork leads to continuity, faster follow-up and better results. That’s how prevention gets the attention it deserves.

Data and Human Contact: The Winning Combination

Prevention works best when medical specialists, safety experts, case managers and HR act as one team. That creates one story and one way of working – a clear improvement in quality, says Gert-Jan.

“With short, frequent check-ins – for instance through questionnaires or PMO modules – you keep a finger on the pulse. Data shows the trends; human contact ensures the right conversation happens at the right time. That’s how you stop small signals from growing into real absence.”

In Conclusion

“Almost every employer genuinely wants to get prevention right,” observes Gert-Jan.
“The main question is: how? Our answer: combine expertise, create coherence and keep communication lines short. That’s exactly what Capability stands for – Attention that sparks Action.”