German employees have taken, on average, more than a day of sick leave per month in the past year. Now the government is proposing reducing the wages of employees who go on sick leave and incentivizing those who come to work.
Employees in Germany take, on average, 14.8 days of sick leave per year, which represents one of the highest rates of absenteeism from work in Europe. For example, this level is four times higher than in the United Kingdom.
For German companies, the total costs of sick leave amount to approximately 82 billion euros per year, according to the German Institute for Economic Research. So now Chancellor Friedrich Merz is considering a drastic solution: employees will have to bear this cost, reports Fortune.
Those who take 5 or fewer sick days will receive a bonus
Currently, Germany has a very generous sick leave policy:
- up to 6 weeks of fully paid sick leave (30 working days) are granted for the same illness, with a medical certificate.
- employees can take 5 days of sick leave without personally consulting a doctor before a formal extension is required.
- if the employee falls ill again from a different cause, the 6-week period restarts.
The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) proposes reducing employees' salaries from the first day of sick leave declaration. In return, those who take 5 days or less would receive a bonus.
The goal is to encourage employees with minor ailments, such as a cold, to come to work instead of staying home.
Even Germans are no longer overworking themselves
In 2023, Germans went on sick leave an average of 20 times - a record level. The figure has since decreased by about five days, but bosses continue to complain that Generation Z, which "is not rushing to work," is exploiting a system that is too lenient compared to other European countries.
Meanwhile, Merz has made his views clear on the sick leave culture in Germany. Earlier this year, he emphasized that this excess gives employers no chance: "This means almost three weeks in which people in Germany do not work due to illness," he pointed out. "Is this really necessary?"
Additionally, the chancellor blamed Germans' work ethic for the country's declining productivity. Merz stated in a recent speech: "To put it more directly: the balance between professional and personal life and a four-day workweek will not be enough to maintain our country's current level of prosperity in the future, which is why we need to work more."
Professional burnout becomes a major global issue
On the other hand, the workforce, not just in Germany, is facing increasing pressure. Professional burnout has become one of the defining crises in the post-pandemic workplace, and data suggests it is worsening, not improving, notes Fortune.
A shocking study highlights that 54% of American workers say they are unhappy at work, with the frequency ranging from occasional to constant. However, they still show up to work, sit in offices, and silently struggle emotionally.
Research consistently shows that millennials are the most burnt out. They are the generation that has reached middle management positions and endured the brunt of layoffs. And in the UK, a mental health crisis among young workers fuels a rise in anxiety, stress, and absenteeism in the workplace, which employers struggle to keep in check. They are mentally checked out, on average, one day a week, the publication writes.
At the same time, research indicates that office policies have made a strong comeback after the pandemic: office calls, AI-based efficiency, and layoffs have sparked a spiral of harassment and "workplace incivility."
The situation has become so severe that burnt-out employees call in sick, claiming they are ill and increasingly use sick leave as a way to escape - not because they are actually sick, but to recover mentally from interactions with their "toxic" bosses, unwind, and even look for a new job.
T.D.