The “what’s keeping me up at night” policy

Over the years, we’ve noticed that sometimes it feels easier to call in sick than to honestly say what’s really going on.
And honestly — we understand that.

Not everyone finds it easy to say:

• things are difficult at home;
• they feel overwhelmed;
• studying temporarily became too much;
• they are stressed;
• or that they’re simply not functioning very well for a while.

At the same time, we do not believe every difficult situation automatically needs to become a sickness absence report. That is why we created something within Knikkers called:

“What’s keeping me up at night?”

When this policy is meant for

This policy is meant for situations where someone:

• is not really “sick”;
• but also is not doing okay enough to work properly;
• or feels like things are temporarily too much mentally, emotionally, or personally.

Sometimes someone does not need a company doctor.
Sometimes they simply need:

• understanding;
• a conversation;
• a temporary adjustment;
• some space;
• or just a bit of rest.

Our promise

WE WILL NEVER JUDGE YOUR SITUATION. IF IT’S KEEPING YOU UP AT NIGHT, WE WILL RESPECT IT

If something is causing you stress, keeping you awake at night, or temporarily affecting your ability to function properly, we take that seriously.
Not because everything automatically becomes a sickness issue.
But because we believe people are allowed to be human sometimes.

Honesty will never be used against you

We want employees to clearly understand this:
Honestly sharing a personal situation will never by itself be a reason to end an assignment or working relationship.

In fact, we believe open communication leads to:

• better cooperation;
• more trust;
• less unnecessary absence;
• and healthier working relationships.

We will never “punish” people for honestly saying they are struggling.

Examples of situations

Every situation is different.
But examples of situations where employees can always contact us include:

• exam weeks causing mental overload;
• not sleeping because of stress;
• relationship problems;
• worries about parents or grandparents;
• a death in the family or close circle;
• financial stress;
• housing problems;
• emotional overload;
• panic complaints;
• personal situations;
• tension at home;
• or simply periods where life temporarily feels like too much.

Examples from student life

We work with a lot of students, so we understand student life can sometimes be chaotic and intense.
For example:

• someone calling off because an important deadline completely spiralled out of control;
• someone who has been awake for days stressing about exams;
• someone who barely slept all week because of study or personal pressure;
• someone who temporarily needs to go back to family or parents;
• someone who feels emotionally exhausted after personal events;
• or someone who feels work temporarily no longer combines well with everything else happening in life.

These are human situations.
We believe employees should be able to honestly talk about these things without feeling like everything immediately needs to be labelled as “sickness.”

When someone’s grandmother passes away

Sometimes situations are simply more important than work.
If someone’s grandmother passes away — or is close to passing away — our first reaction will never be to immediately focus on schedules, rules, or hours.
First, we look at the human being.
In situations like that, we will always try to create space for our employees.
And yes — sometimes that also means we tell clients that there should be room for being a decent human being.

What we ask from employees

We only ask a few things:

• be honest;
• reach out early;
• stay in communication;
• and try not to let situations grow bigger than they need to become.

Very often, much better solutions can be found when someone shares what is going on early enough.
That might mean:

• temporarily working less;
• an adjusted schedule;
• replacement work;
• a day off;
• or simply some breathing room.

Not everything needs to become a sickness report

In the Netherlands, there is a lot of pressure on:

• healthcare;
• company doctors;
• occupational health services;
• the UWV;
• and public systems.

We therefore believe employers also have a responsibility to handle sickness absence carefully.
Not every difficult period needs to immediately become a medical process.
Sometimes honesty, humanity, and flexibility help much more.

What we believe

We believe good cooperation starts when people feel safe enough to honestly say what is really going on.
Not everything needs to immediately become formal, legal, or medical.
Sometimes an honest conversation already helps enormously.
And in the end, we believe employees, clients, and society all benefit from that.