Many recent studies have focused on reduced productivity and work absence due to work disability in Western countries [
1‐
5]. Work disability prevents or detracts the employee's productivity and has many economic and public health consequences, such as problems for employers, employees, their families, and society [
6‐
8]. In Western countries its main consequences are financial, due to reduced productivity, increased job turnover and the cost of additional rehabilitation programs [
9‐
11]. In order to estimate the costs of work disability, staff absence and presence needs to be recorded. Absenteeism refers to the total days lost from work. Presenteeism refers to attending work whilst still stick or disabled, causing reduced productivity while at work [
12]. Absenteeism and presenteeism can be used as integrated measures of physical, psychological and social functioning in studies of working populations [
12,
13]. In the Netherlands, the Sickness Absence Reduction Act was introduced in 1994 in an attempt to reduce absenteeism. Although there has been a major reduction in absenteeism, nearly 3 million Dutch workers still suffer from one or more chronic conditions which constrains their work performance [
14]. Sickness absence remains a large problem in terms of costs, labour participation and social consequences [
11,
15,
16]. The most common causes of sickness absence are: musculoskeletal complaints, mental health problems, and cardiovascular diseases [
17,
18]. Chronic diseases are more common among workers of 45 years and older, and it is expected that this age group will greatly increase, leading to a growing number of occupational health problems [
17,
18]. In the Netherlands, the total annual costs of absenteeism arising from health complaints and work disability amounted to 26 billion Euros, which accounts for almost 5% of the gross national product [
14]. Additionally, Kremer and Steenbeek (2010) have computed that approximately 21.5% of absenteeism from work could be avoided if health services and employer and employee opportunities improved. To do this, shorter referral times, swifter medical care, improved collaboration between health care providers, reduced workload and an improved work-life balance are important factors [
17,
18].