cross-posted from: https://feddit.online/c/euro@feddit.online/p/1817064/germany-tightens-sick-leave-rules-medical-doctor-note-required-from-day-one-telephone-s
Germany’s Chancellor Merz:
We can no longer accept the extraordinarily high levels of sick leave in our companies.
We are abolishing sick leave by telephone and introducing the requirement to submit a medical certificate from the very first day of illness.
We know this is a tough decision. But we can no longer afford this competitive disadvantage caused by prolonged absences from work.
Well this is a step backwards.
Small step backwards for Germany, but a giant leap forward for contagious diseases.
If you’re genuinely having an issue with a sick workforce then you build better healthcare and preventative care services.
This will backfire.
Before I retired, I got put on what my employer called a “sick leave letter” which means they thought I was abusing sick leave. Which was ridiculous, I had used only about 20% of the sick leave I had earned during my career and had a huge bank of time, but they said they thought there was “a pattern” because it was often in conjunction with my weekend. This sick leave letter required a doctor’s note every time, instead of only for prolonged absences.
You know what doctors don’t tell you? They don’t tell you to “suck it up and get back to work as soon as you can drag yourself in”, which was my M.O… You know what they do tell you? They do tell you to take at least a week off, two if you can.
As I said, I had a huge bank of time. After two times where 1-2 days became two weeks, which I gladly took and turned into vacations, I started asking if they really wanted me to go to a doctor (which involved me spending about an hour going down the road to urgent care and spending a $20 copay to get a note for two weeks) or if I could just take a day or two. They, smartly, told me not to bother, which I required in writing. The sick leave letter expired eventually and I never heard any bullshit again.
TL;DR: Doctors tell you to take more time off than most people take on their own.
Fucking dickass fascist.
“Good morning, oh no I’m vomiting my guts up, can barely go 20 minutes without explosive diarrhea, and I’m bed-ridden from excruciating abdominal pain. Better get to the doctor so I don’t have to go to work today.”
What the fuck kind of hellhole is this? The billionaires are rich enough already.
Competitive advantage my ass.
Worth noting that there already are many employers in Germany who demand a notice from the doctor (and not one via telephone) from day one. In fact, I’ve never had one that does not, both public and private.
It’s still stupid to codify this idiocy into law for everyone.
And who is supposed to deliver the note from the doctor to the employer? The sick person? What if they’re contagious?
If it were me, I’d cough all over the note before handing it directly to the bossman
It’s transmitted electronically these days.
In the past, you could just hand it in later once you were healthy or send it by mail.
Competitive disadvantage in comparison to what? How is this gonna improve productivity?
I haven’t followed German politics in many years and damn, is this concerning.
I’m confused by this. I’ve never worked at a business that required (or was even interested in) a doctor’s note when I was sick.
Why would I go to the doctor if I have any of the most common causes of sick days, like cold, flu, stomach upset, etc? They’re not going to be able to do anything about it except take my temperature, confirm my described symptoms, and recommend fluids and rest. Meanwhile if I’m feeling too ill to go to work I’m going to feel too ill to go to the doctor, and being forced to go to the doctor instead of resting at home is only going to exacerbate the condition and potentially spread whatever I have to other patients at the doctor’s office and on public transit (or do you want me behind the wheel in my condition?). Do y’all really have so much excess medical capacity that having people take up doctor time just for them to confirm “yup, sick” isn’t a problem?
What happens when a company is like “this is dumb, we’re not ‘requiring’ shit”? How is this even enforceable? Like, we all recognize this is overreach, but just from a practicality point of view how is any of this proposal feasible?
That’s okay. A lot of people will needlessy suffer and instead of being sick for just a day or two, my doctor will probably give me a note for a whole week or longer. This will certainly help to be on the job more often. Brilliant. /s
We could take the required money from the rich… bwhahahahaha! Of course not, let’s make the plebs work while sick so that they can sicken everyone at the office!
Labour will be more disciplined until Capital’s profits go up!
All of this could be solved by checking Merz’s internet history and imprisoning him
Answering the question why Merz is the least popular chancellor in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany.
This is not the only answer to that question…
In Germany, we say “Merz leck Eier”.
Or jokingly twist it into “Mehrzweckeier”, which is pronounced almost the same and translates to multiple-purpose eggs. The literal meaning is irrelevant - it’s a reaction to someone getting persecuted by the state for using the original insult (Merz lick eggs/balls).
What the fuck, is Germany grade school?
Does he get to check your clothes before you go out too?
Crazy. In the Netherlands the employer is not even allowed to ask what disease you have. If they want to know if your sick leave is legit they have to get an independent doctor involved.
Yes it’s easy to abuse the system but hear me out, what if, the employer is nice to it’s employees? They’d be unlikely to abuse sick leave.
The certificate doesn’t say why one is sick, and the employer make not ask.
Still, requiring at first day is dumb on sooo many levels…
Same in Germany, the doctor does not say why, just that there is an inability to work due to illness. On top of that it is illegal for the employer to even ask.
Lots do ask, of course.
Well, yes. But the Betriebsarzt will now have access to your ePA and through this to your full health history.
Only if you have an ePA. Which anyone with any understanding of privacy will have rejected
Well, yes, but you don’t have to have an ePA
Hey doc I have a cold. I’m also really burned out from work so it wouldn’t hurt if you required me 2 weeks off paid that my employer just has to accept.
Doctors note mandate suddenly and inexplicably reverts
No, the next step is that sick leave is not paid anymore. So that you have to work sick or else you are losing money.
You mean like the US?
Probably. It seems the CDU is very interested in how the US is handling everything.
As an American, I’m very sorry.
