Physical work · part-time contracts · staff turnover
Sickness absence insurance (verzuimverzekering) for cleaning companies
In cleaning, you take over staff from your predecessor when a contract changes hands, and that is exactly when your policy runs into the exclusion for existing absence.
The calculator and the quote form below are in Dutch. Prefer to do this in English? Email info@finassverzekert. nl or call 072 - 509 24 56 and we will take it from there.
Work out for yourself what it would cost.
Enter your details; you will receive a proposal within one working day.
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An adviser checks whether the cover suits your activities
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
Cleaning companies change sites. If you win a tender, part of the existing staff transfers with the contract under the collective labour agreement. Among those employees there are current cases of illness, and absence that already existed on the start date of your policy is excluded as standard. You then continue to pay wages without cover.
Also, staff turnover is high and the wage bill fluctuates. You pay an advance based on an estimated annual wage bill and the insurer settles afterwards against your actual payroll returns, which can work out considerably differently when you gain or lose sites.
The work itself takes place on someone else's premises. That changes nothing about your position as an employer: the the duty of care under Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code also applies at your client's location.
What does sickness absence insurance cover for cleaning companies?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Two years
Continued payment of wages
What you are legally required to continue paying.
First year one hundred per cent
Second year seventy per cent
A collective labour agreement may require more
The waiting period
Own retention
How many days you bear yourself.
Shorter is more expensive
Longer brings the premium down
Choose according to what you can bear
Optional
Support and case handling
Guidance with reintegration.
Case management
Gatekeeper Act monitoring
Risk of a wage sanction
What is covered
Situation
Conventional
Full-service option
Continued payment of wages during sickness
Yes
Yes
Guidance with reintegration
No
Yes
Risk of a wage sanction borne by the insurer
No
Yes
Occupational health services included
No
Sometimes
Cost of replacing a member of staff who is off sick
No
No
Sickness absence that already existed at inception
No
No
This overview is general in nature and is not personal advice. What is actually covered, including exclusions, limits and the excess, is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) of the insurer; you receive both before you take out cover. Taking out cover without advice? Then read what execution only means for you.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
Change of contract: staff transfer, and so does absence
When you take over a site you take over employees, including those who are ill at that moment. Your insurer does not cover absence that was already running at the start. So report before the transfer date which employees are coming across and which of them are ill, and ask in writing how the insurer deals with that. Some insurers do take on current cases subject to conditions, but only if you declare them in advance.
High turnover calls for an accurate wage bill declaration
With many short periods of employment, your wage bill changes constantly. You pay a premium based on an estimate and the insurer settles afterwards against your payroll returns. If you estimate too low because you did not allow for new sites, an additional assessment follows. Update the declaration as soon as you gain or lose a large site, instead of waiting for the annual settlement.
Working at the client's location
A slippery floor, a defective lift or a wrongly stored cleaning product at the client's premises is just as much a risk to your employee as on your own site. You remain the employer and therefore owe a duty of care under Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code. The sickness absence insurance pays the wages during the absence; liability for the injury itself runs through public and employers' liability insurance (AVB).
What falls outside the cover
Excluded are: absence that already existed on the start date, including sick employees taken over; the costs of stand-ins and employment agencies; and penalties or discounts a client withholds because hours have not been delivered. Window cleaners and facade cleaners hired in as self-employed professionals also fall outside the cover. If you fail to disclose known cases of illness at the start, Articles 7:928 and 7:930 DCC.
What does your premium depend on?
Estimated annual wage bill and the turnover within it. The premium is an advance that is settled afterwards against your actual payroll returns.
Share of specialist work. Window cleaning at height and industrial cleaning have a heavier risk profile than office cleaning.
Number of employees and spread across sites. More locations means more spread of the risk, but also more changes in the workforce.
Sickness absence record. With high turnover the history is hard to interpret; insurers then look at the frequency of reports per FTE.
Waiting period chosen. Many short sickness reports make the waiting period the setting that most determines your own burden here.
Percentage of cover and collective agreement top-up. If you pay above the statutory minimum, that extra amount must be included in the insured wage bill.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, your risk and your wishes.
We compareseveral insurers, on premium as well as conditions.
You receive a proposalWith an explanation of the differences and the exclusions.
We arrange the switchIncluding cancellation, so there is no gap in cover.
Customers rate our service on four aspects: personal service, service delivery, availability and the outcome. The reviews are collected and published by NH1816 and come from customers who have actually taken out a policy with Finass Advies B.V. or reported a claim.
What happens when a contract changes hands and employees are ill?
Under the collective labour agreement, the staff at a site transfer to the new cleaning company when it is taken over, including where someone is ill. You then become the employer in a current case of illness. Because existing absence is excluded as standard, you must register those employees with your insurer before the transfer date and have it confirmed in writing how they will be treated.
Who is responsible for reintegration if someone works at the client's premises?
You, as the employer. The client has no role in this, even though the work takes place at their location. You draw up the plan of action, look for suitable work within your own business or at another site, and monitor the gatekeeper deadlines. Adapted work at a lighter site is often the first route.
How do I register new employees when turnover is high?
With most absence policies you do not have to register every employee separately. The cover follows your payroll returns and is settled afterwards. Your declared annual wage bill does have to be realistic. Update it as soon as you win or lose a large site, so that the year-end adjustment is not an unpleasant surprise.
Does the policy cover a discount from the client for hours not delivered?
No. If a client withholds money because less cleaning has been done due to illness, that is a contractual dispute and not a loss from continued payment of wages. The insurance covers only the wages of the sick employee. Arrange replacement through a pool of stand-ins or an employment agency. Those costs are not covered either.
Finass Verzekert is a trading name of Finass Advies B.V. We advise on and arrange non-life insurance on the basis of an objective analysis of several insurers, and receive commission for this from the insurer, which is included in the premium. You pay no separate advice fee. Before you take out cover, we establish your wishes and needs.
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