NS is shifting its management focus from reducing absenteeism to increasing employees’ labour potential. Measurements will give us a better understanding of the mental and physical health of our people. These insights will serve as a basis for targeted actions to make the organisation more vigorous and prevent absenteeism. The sickness absence rate at NS was 6.6% in 2020 (2019: 6.6%). The outbreak of COVID-19 caused a peak in absenteeism levels, but since April the figures for each month have actually been slightly lower than in the same period in 2019. Long-term absence demands our particular attention. The frequency of sickness reports and the number of employees who never reported sick throughout the year are both close to the Dutch average. In 2021, assisted by the new occupational health and safety office Arbo Unie, NS aims to provide better guidance for managers and employees in cases of long-term absence.