Seeing the occupational physician: preparation, privacy and advice

Which questions can the occupational physician answer?

Discuss the work you can do, relevant limitations and adjustments that may support recovery or safe work. An occupational physician may advise on gradually increasing hours, rest breaks or temporarily different tasks. The employer remains responsible for organising work and, together with you, for reintegration. The physician does not decide dismissal compensation or interpret your collective agreement. Keep medical possibilities and legal rights visible as separate questions, even when they are closely connected during a dispute.

Access is possible without reporting sick

Do not always wait until you are unable to work. You can also discuss health and work preventively. Check the staff information for access arrangements and ask for the occupational health service’s contact details if needed. The basic occupational health contract must clarify matters including the support offered. For a preventive appointment, explain which workload you wish to discuss. Examples include night shifts, recurring stress signals or an adjustment that may prevent problems. Access to a preventive appointment is different from a manager’s permission to report sick.

Prepare specific tasks and limits

Write down an ordinary working day: hours, travel between workplaces, physical demands, concentration, deadlines and contact moments. Record which parts are manageable and when symptoms increase. Bring relevant medical information without assembling an unfocused collection of documents. Ask what further information the physician needs and how it can be supplied securely. A concrete description of limitations is often more useful than simply saying “I cannot manage”. Describe fluctuations in capacity too, so a return-to-work schedule is not based on one good day.

What may the employer receive from the appointment?

Medical details and private matters should not reach the employer without limits. The occupational physician may advise on relevant workplace adjustments, expected absence duration and possibilities for work. Ask what report will be sent and check its factual accuracy. If a report for your manager contains a diagnosis, ask for an explanation and correction where necessary. Consent to information exchange with your treating practitioner is a separate question: discuss its purpose, scope and necessary information, rather than treating unrestricted sharing as standard.

Who is speaking to you: a physician or a delegated staff member?

Various professionals may be involved at an occupational health service. Ask for their name, role, authority and who holds medical responsibility. Someone arranging an appointment has a different role from the occupational physician. If in doubt, check registration and ask how you can speak to the responsible physician. This is particularly important when a consequential opinion is conveyed only through a brief telephone message. Raise uncertainty factually; the aim is to know who established the advice and how you can discuss questions or new information. You can consult the public BIG register: a bedrijfsarts is registered as a doctor with the occupational-health specialty arbeid en gezondheid – bedrijfsgeneeskunde. Check both the registration and specialty of the responsible assessor, rather than relying on the job title alone.

Make the advice workable

A report saying “can resume partly” offers little guidance without specifying hours, tasks and conditions. Ask for clarification and agree a concrete plan with the employer. Record evaluation dates and what to do if your condition worsens. Keep medical information within the medical route and limit the work plan to relevant work capacity. If the employer interprets advice differently from you, ask the physician to clarify before the disagreement is recorded as refusal to work or insufficient effort.

Doubt, complaints and UWV expert opinions are different

If you doubt the occupational health advice, you can request a second opinion through your own occupational physician. If reintegration has stalled, a UWV expert opinion may be appropriate. A complaint generally concerns conduct, care or service quality and does not automatically replace substantive reassessment. Ask which route can resolve your problem and what is expected meanwhile. An application or complaint does not automatically suspend work arrangements. If loss of pay is threatened, seek legal help too, so the medical route is not your only action.

Example: increasing hours without suitable tasks

The physician recommends two hours a day in a quiet work environment. The employer then schedules two hours at a busy reception desk. Record the difference between the stated condition and actual task, and ask for clarification and a suitable proposal. Indicate an alternative that appears workable. This example shows why the hours alone are insufficient. Careful advice and a careful schedule must fit together; otherwise uncertainty about implementation may wrongly be treated as a dispute about motivation.

Practical checklist

• Record tasks, workload and changes in symptoms beforehand.
• If unclear, ask for the person’s name, role and responsible occupational physician.
• Read the report and ask for workable conditions and evaluations.
• If in doubt, choose between clarification, a second opinion, a complaint and a UWV expert opinion.