What's On · A team member returns to work after experiencing burnout
Reintegration is all about the person who was absent. But that person is returning to the same team. An assessment shows how that team is doing.
From the demo report
Team PhaseFire hazard“On the surface, it may still seem to be functioning, but beneath the surface, things are brewing.”
Why You Shouldn't Let This Slide
330days
According to figures from the occupational health and safety services ArboNed and HumanCapitalCare for 2025, the average number of absences due to burnout was . For stress-related complaints, the figure was 254.
37%
of employees in the Netherlands said in 2025 that (additional) measures are needed to address work pressure and work-related stress.
Signal
Team members who experience burnout are an important indicator of team burnout, write Cees and Leonie. Burnout among team members precedes burnout within the team.
The focus is on who is returning. A survey also shows how the team is doing.
Cees van der Zwan, founder of Teamenergy
Jump to
A case study from the book
The management team of a manufacturing company. One of the members, Onno, ends up on leave due to burnout. The book shows how his return affected the team.
The tasks and roles are divided in such a way that everyone makes the most of their strengths. There’s a healthy team spirit. Then, unexpectedly, Onno ends up at home with burnout.
Onno's work is being divided among the other MT members. Despite this major setback, the MT continues to function well.
After about six months, Onno begins his reintegration. Once he’s back, the atmosphere has changed: it’s much more every man for himself.
No one wants to disrupt the reintegration process. Onno is being shielded from everything, and the management team members no longer confront each other directly. Onno hadn't asked for that himself.
After six months, the chairperson brings in a team coach. The management team reflects on the past and establishes agreements together with Onno. If anyone slips back into old habits, they can remind each other of those agreements.
“Less bravado, but a team spirit that stands for something: they’ve managed to get through this period just fine as a team.”
Before the outage
Book, p. 101
The MT is going crazy
Illustration from the book, p. 101, no measured values
After returning
Illustration from the book, pp. 101 and 102; no measured values
What Changed
Book, p. 102
Agreed with Onno
Book, p. 102
“Less bravado, but a team spirit that stands for something.”
About Onno's MT. Book, p. 103
The team worked through it together, with clear agreements they made together with Onno.
What the measurement tells you
Here are the results for the demo team. You can see how each team is doing, even if no one has been eliminated.
Stress 2.11. For the top-performing teams, that figure is 1.25, and lower is better.
Workload: 2.92. A healthy range is between 2 and 3.
Commitment: 3.05; the recommended score is 3.5. Team results: 3.20; the recommended score is 3.5.
Resources 1.09, personal development 1.09, leadership 1.72. The recommended score is 3, and for leadership, 3.5.
Three themes recur in the open-ended questions: the need for a shared direction; ongoing pressure from shortages and external factors; and the desire for better collaboration and greater connection.
Your first step: the “Operation Reality Check” exercise (What’s really possible?)
You take a measurement, read the results, do an exercise, and then take another measurement. That way, you can see if the enjoyment returns and if it lasts.
Frequently Asked Questions
An average of 330 days in 2025, according to the occupational health and safety services ArboNed and HumanCapitalCare. Absenteeism due to stress-related symptoms lasted an average of 254 days.
It depends. In an example from the book, a management team was walking on eggshells: no one wanted to disrupt the reintegration process, and the members stopped speaking to one another. With the help of a team coach and clear agreements—along with the colleague who was returning to work—that changed.
According to the book, yes. Team members who experience burnout are an important indicator of team burnout.
One measurement costs €450 per team. To continue taking measurements, you pay €62.50 per month per team, for a minimum of one year. This gives you unlimited retesting. See the prices below.
You pay a single fee per team, regardless of how many employees are on it. Compare that fee to what it costs you to do nothing.
A single sick day costs you 21 times as much as a year's worth of " Teamenergy " for the entire team.
Continued pay plus about 30% in employer contributions. We’re not even factoring in replacement costs and work that gets left undone.
For every figure and every step on this page, you'll see the source. Or view them all together.
You can see what’s putting pressure on your team’s performance, and the team takes care of it on its own. A follow-up assessment after 4 months will show whether the team is making progress.
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