The notion that employees in Germany often call in sick without a valid reason is not new. Employers have long questioned the validity of sick leave claims . What is new, however, is that the debate is currently intensifying, partly due to the upcoming federal election. Cutting back on social welfare programs is currently a hot topic.
Allianz CEO Oliver Bäte has called for a so-called “waiting day.” This means that continued pay on the first day of illness would be eliminated. The threat of a pay deduction is intended to deter employees from “skipping work.” In Germany, the so-called “waiting day” was abolished in 1970. Uninterrupted continued pay in the event of illness was a major social policy victory that unions had to fight for time and again. In the mid-1990s, union protests were once again necessary to defend continued pay against planned cuts by the CDU-FDP federal government of the time.
Fact Check
According to a new study by the DAK, the high rate of sick leave in Germany is mainly attributable to the electronic sick leave notification (eAU). Since its introduction, 100 percent of sick leave notifications have been recorded. Before the eAU was introduced, the copy for the health insurance provider was often not sent at all—only the copy for the employer was submitted. The new data collection method sheds more light on what was once an “unreported area,” leading to a statistical increase in the figures, according to the ZEW (Leibniz Center for European Economic Research).
Additional days of absence are also resulting from increased waves of colds, COVID-19 infections, and a massive rise in mental health conditions. In fact, many employees go to work even though they are sick. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, around 70 percent of employees were absent from work due to illness at least once a year, averaging nearly nine workdays. Since then, the Hans Böckler Foundation estimates that these figures have likely risen even further in light of the new work-from-home culture.
Employees Under General Suspicion
The current proposal to reintroduce the waiting day is justified by the claim that employees in Germany, with 20 sick days per year, are “world champions at calling in sick.” Recently, Daimler CEO Ola Källenius also stated that it is too easy to call in sick in this country. He argued that the next federal government should make unpopular decisions and cut back on social benefits. All these attacks are aimed at amending the Continued Pay Act, which governs the continued payment of wages in the event of illness.
Hans-Jürgen Urban, a member of the IG Metall executive board, categorically rejects the proposal to reintroduce waiting days. “Accusing employees of feigning illness is outrageous and disastrous. Anyone who dusts off the idea of waiting days is attacking social security and encouraging the prolongation of illnesses. The German economy will not recover with sick employees, but rather—on the contrary—with better working conditions.”
Many go to work even though they are sick
Continued pay during sick leave is a social protection right that applies from the first day of illness. This is the only way to ensure that sick employees who need time to recover can actually get well and that their labor force remains intact in the long term. However, showing up to work while sick is a widespread phenomenon across all industries due to a shortage of skilled workers and staffing shortages.
The situation is currently exacerbated by the fact that many employees fear losing their jobs and therefore go to work even when they would be better off staying home. This not only harms their own health but also leads to the spread of infection among colleagues. Employees who come to work while sick increase the risk of accidents and errors. This leads to productivity losses that end up costing companies even more.
The debate about alleged “playing hooky” therefore misses the point. Introducing waiting periods would punish people for being sick by docking their pay. Employees get sick because of poor working conditions. The most important remedy is a risk assessment. To reduce the number of illnesses, we should focus on health management and prevention—not launch a bogus debate.
Further information:
-What explains the high rate of sick leave in workplaces? WSI Commentary No. 003, October 2024, Hans Böckler Foundation
-Current Analysis: Sick Leave: Addressing Structural Causes Instead of Risky Sham Solutions, Hans Böckler Foundation Press Service, January 9, 2025
-Occupational Safety and Health: “A Vicious Cycle of Illness Looms”
