General practitioners and occupational physicians both deal with patients on sick leave. Sometimes they give conflicting advice and there is too little collaboration. Collaboration is necessary to improve care for sick workers. A collective training route and more focus on sick leave in guidelines for general practitioners, such as the guidelines from the Dutch College of General Practitioners, may be of help in this respect. Also, more insight into interdoctor variation is needed.

Conflict of interest: none declared. Financial support: none declared.