They say calling out sick is nothing to sneeze at.
Germany wants to toughen-up the country’s lavish illness-leave rules — which allow virtually limitless sick days — to combat soaring absentee rates and boost a flagging economy.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz is mulling legislation that would allow employers to dock the pay of workers, beginning from the first day they call out sick, Fortune.com reported.
It would be a radical change for a nation known for pro-worker policies and where a four-day work week has become normal.
“Work-life balance and a four-day week will not be enough to maintain our country’s current level of prosperity in the future, which is why we need to work harder,” Merz said in a speech about absentee rates earlier this year.
The proposal comes as a study revealed that Deutschland workers take an average of 14.8 sick days a year — more than once a month, and four times that of the United Kingdom.
The bill aims to beef up economic growth in the labor-and-employee-friendly nation, which faces lagging growth. It would also reward employees who take less than five sick days a year with bonus pay.
Germany’s generous current policy allows workers to take up to six weeks of paid leave for an illness. If the employee falls ill from a different sickness, the six-week paid leave starts again.
The government now wants to nudge workers with minor ailments such as a cold back into the office, according to according to German tabloid Bild, which broke the story.
“It’s certain that Germany has the highest number of sick days in Europe. Both coalition partners would like to reduce that,” a government insider told the paper.
Standard workweeks in Germany are five days, but dozens of companies have recently participated in trials offering 4 days-weeks at full pay.
Earlier this month, a report from the nonprofit advocacy group 4 Day Week Global found that employees can accomplish as much in a 33-hour workweek as in a 38-hour workweek.
Experts claim the 5-hour gap is filled with procrastination, not productivity.
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