Absence from work does not always result from illness or a lack of motivation. Sometimes the work schedule was communicated incorrectly. An employee may have received a different version, missed an update or learned about a change too late. The company should establish when the work schedule for temporary agency workers is published, who communicates it, where the current version can be found and how subsequent changes are handled. Night shifts, weekend work and shifts linked to organised transport require particular attention.
Contents
How far in advance should a work schedule be communicated?
How should employees receive their work schedule?
Confirming schedules and last-minute changes
Shift schedules, transport and weekend work
Common staff scheduling mistakes
How does Intraservis B.V. respond to attendance problems?
FAQ
1. How far in advance should a work schedule be communicated?
A work schedule should be communicated as early as possible and according to a consistent process. Employees need time to arrange transport, rest, childcare and other responsibilities outside work.
Under the Dutch Working Hours Act, employers must prepare the schedule in writing and make it accessible to employees. Official guidance also states:
Different arrangements may therefore apply under the employment contract, the relevant collective labour agreement, or CAO, and the agreements in place within a particular project. These working-time rules also apply to temporary personnel and foreign employees working in the Netherlands.
Production, logistics, food processing, horticulture and agriculture companies cannot always determine their final staffing needs several weeks in advance. The required headcount may depend on orders, deliveries, harvest volumes or production plans. Employees should nevertheless understand the rules that apply to their project.
A consistent publication time
One practical solution is to publish the shift schedule on a specified day and at a consistent time. Employees then know when to check their working hours, while the person responsible for publishing the schedule has a clear deadline for collecting the required information.
Employees should also know where they can find the current employee schedule, how updates will be communicated and who can answer questions.
A consistent publication process will not eliminate every absence. It can, however, reduce situations in which different members of the same team use different versions of the schedule.
The International Labour Organization makes a direct connection between schedule predictability and employees’ ability to organise their lives outside work:
2. How should employees receive their work schedule?
Even a correctly prepared work schedule will not serve its purpose when employees do not know which version is current. The greatest confusion occurs when information is communicated by several people using different channels.
Clear responsibility
The client company should clearly determine who is responsible for the work schedule, who sends it to employees and who is authorised to introduce changes. These tasks do not all have to be performed by one person, but the division of responsibility should be clear to everyone involved.
When an employee receives different versions from a team leader, planner and HR department, an absence may result from conflicting instructions rather than the employee’s unwillingness to work. If several people can independently change working hours, it becomes difficult to determine which information was valid.
Employers in the Netherlands must also provide employees with written information about their working-time arrangements. For predictable working patterns, this includes the usual working hours and the rules for overtime and shift changes. For irregular or unpredictable hours, employees must be informed about the days and hours during which they may be required to work and how far in advance they can be called in.
One main communication channel
The main channel may be an employee application, email, SMS or an agreed messaging group. The tool itself is less important than using it consistently.
A paper work schedule displayed at the workplace can provide additional information, but it should not be the only communication method. An employee who is on leave or staying away from the site may not see a change introduced after their previous shift.
The highest risk arises when the original schedule is available in an application, later changes are sent by WhatsApp and further arrangements are communicated verbally. The employee may receive all these messages and still be unsure when the next shift starts.
3. Confirming schedules and last-minute changes
When an employee receives information about a change to the shift work schedule, the company should obtain confirmation. This is particularly important for night shifts, weekend work and projects where transport is organised.
Confirming receipt of a message is not the same as accepting a revised shift. A reply such as “received” confirms that the employee has read the information, but it does not mean that they are available at the new time.
A last-minute schedule change should include:
- the exact date and revised working hours,
- the shift being replaced,
- updated transport arrangements, where relevant,
- the deadline and method for confirming availability.
Instead of writing, “You are starting later tomorrow,” the company could send:
Schedule change for 14 May: instead of the 06:00-14:00 shift, the proposed shift is 14:00-22:00. Transport will leave the usual collection point at 12:50. Please confirm by 18:00 whether you are available.
The company should be prepared for the employee to decline the revised hours and should not automatically assume that the change has been accepted.
Specific notice rules apply when someone works under an on-call contract. In that case, the employee must generally be called in at least four days in advance in writing or electronically. A CAO may shorten this period, but not to less than one day. These rules concern on-call employment and should not be applied automatically to every temporary agency worker.
When spreadsheets or scheduling systems are used, the date and time of the latest update should be visible. In simpler projects, a clear statement indicating which work schedule is current may be sufficient.
4. Shift schedules, transport and weekend work
A shift schedule should be closely connected to employees’ ability to reach the workplace, especially at night, during weekends and at locations with limited public transport.
Changing a start time without updating the transport arrangements can directly result in an absence. An employee may confirm their availability without realising that they have no way to reach the workplace.
Night and weekend shifts
For shifts that continue beyond midnight, the full start and end dates should always be provided.
A clear entry would read:
Shift starts: Saturday 14 May at 22:00. Shift ends: Sunday 15 May at 06:00.
This removes ambiguity about the day on which the shift begins. Under Dutch rules, a night shift is a shift during which an employee works for at least one hour between 00:00 and 06:00. Additional restrictions on working hours and rest periods apply to night work.
Transport aligned with the schedule
Before confirming a revised shift, the company should check the departure time, collection point and return journey.
This is especially important when temporary agency workers live in accommodation arranged as part of the project. The distance between the accommodation, collection point and workplace affects whether employees can attend every scheduled shift.
For example, a Saturday shift may be moved from 14:00 to 18:00 while the organised bus still runs according to the previous timetable. Employees may confirm that they are available but still fail to reach the workplace. The problem is not necessarily the employee schedule itself, but the lack of coordination between the schedule and transport.
5. Common staff scheduling mistakes
Incorrectly communicated staff scheduling can lead to absences that could have been avoided. Usually, the cause is not one major mistake but several smaller inconsistencies.
| Mistake | Possible consequence | Better approach |
| Schedule communicated too late | Employee cannot arrange transport or personal responsibilities | Use a consistent publication deadline |
| Several versions remain in circulation | Employee attends the wrong shift | Identify one current version |
| Different communication channels are used | Some employees miss the update | Use one main channel |
| Receipt is not confirmed | The company assumes the employee knows the schedule | Request confirmation |
| Reading the message is treated as acceptance | Employee knows about the change but cannot attend | Confirm availability separately |
| Transport is not updated | Employee cannot reach the workplace | Update the schedule and transport together |
| Night shift has no exact date | Employee misinterprets the start day | State the full start and end dates |
| Availability was not checked | Employee is scheduled at an impossible time | Verify availability before finalising the schedule |
| Accommodation and transport are not coordinated | Employee misses the organised journey | Check the route and collection time |
A well-prepared work schedule for temporary agency workers should be consistent with the organisation of work across the entire site. Agency workers should not receive less structured information simply because they are employed through a staffing agency.
6. How does Intraservis respond to attendance problems?
The client company determines the working hours and staffing requirements based on its production plan, available positions and required headcount.
Intraservis B.V. becomes involved when an employee does not report for work or when a communication problem affects attendance. Depending on the arrangements for the project, we contact the employee, establish the reason for the absence, check their continued availability and provide the client with the relevant information.
When similar situations occur repeatedly, we also look at the circumstances surrounding them. These may include late changes, inconsistent versions of the work schedule, transport difficulties, accommodation-related logistics or a lack of clear confirmation.
Intraservis B.V. does not take over the client’s production planning or independently determine its shift schedule. We support communication with the employee, help establish the reason for the absence and provide the client with the information needed to decide on the next steps.
A well-organised work schedule cannot eliminate every absence. It can reduce situations in which an employee fails to attend because they received outdated information, did not confirm a revised shift or could not reach the workplace.
See how Intraservis can support communication and coordination of temporary agency workers.
7. FAQ
What is the best way to communicate a work schedule?
The client company should use one main communication channel and clearly establish who distributes the schedule and who can change it. Employees should always know where to find the current version.
Should temporary agency workers confirm receipt of their schedule?
Confirmation is particularly important after changes to working hours, for night and weekend shifts and when organised transport is involved. For last-minute changes, the company should confirm both receipt of the message and the employee’s availability.
What should a work schedule change contain?
The message should state the exact date, revised hours, the shift being replaced, relevant transport details and the deadline for confirming availability.
How does transport affect a shift work schedule?
Transport times should correspond with the start and end of each shift. Updating working hours without checking transport may leave employees unable to reach the workplace.
