(de-news.net) – Business representatives and economists have posited that employees should not receive wages for the initial day of illness. Allianz CEO Oliver Bäte advocated for the reintroduction of the waiting day for sick leave, citing Germany’s elevated sickness rate. Consequently, employees would bear the costs for the first day of illness. Bäte highlighted that German employees are, on average, sick for 20 days annually, compared to the EU average of eight days, thereby escalating system costs. Employers in Germany disburse 77 billion euros annually in wages for sick employees, supplemented by an additional 19 billion euros from health insurance funds, amounting to approximately six percent of social spending, whereas the EU average is about 3.5 percent.
Alleviating medical practices
Economists Monika Schnitzer, chairwoman of the German Council of Economic Experts, and Nicolas Ziebarth from the Mannheim Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) also endorsed the reintroduction of the waiting day, contending that reduced wage continuation would result in fewer individuals calling in sick when not genuinely ill. Schnitzer suggested that part-time sick leave could facilitate reintegration, with family doctors assessing individual cases. She noted that part-time sick leave would only be suitable for jobs where work is manageable despite illness. For instance, someone with a broken leg working behind a deli counter would require full sick leave, whereas an office worker might still be able to work despite the injury.
The waiting day was abolished in the 1970s but persists in countries such as Sweden, Spain, and Greece. Andreas Gassen, head of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV), aso proposed reconsidering sick leave regulations to alleviate medical practices. He questioned the necessity of a doctor’s sick note for the initial days of illness and suggested a trust-based regulation where employees could informally report sick for the first two days, requiring a doctor’s certificate only from the third day onwards, thereby easing the burden on medical practices.
Cons of the proposition
Other leading economists responded skeptically to Bäte’s proposal. Economic expert Martin Werding stated in reports that requiring employees to forgo nearly five percent of their monthly wages for a sick day would compel many to work despite health risks and the potential for spreading illness. He suggested broader discussions on potential solutions, such as adjusting the generous EU wage continuation to limit it to 80 percent for the first week of illness, akin to the current rule from the seventh week onwards. Werding noted that a similar adjustment was implemented in 1996 during an economic downturn but was reversed two years later.
Health economist Jürgen Wasem from the University of Duisburg-Essen viewed the reintroduction of waiting days as a potentially suitable instrument but doubted its enforceability. He pointed out that past experiences demonstrated such measures were often negotiated away by unions during collective bargaining. Wasem concluded that it might be prudent to avoid the prolonged societal agitation that the topic could generate.
DAK: statistical effect only
The DAK health insurance in conjunction with the IGES Institute conducted an investigation into the substantial increase in sick leave reports from 2021 to 2022. The introduction of the electronic certificate of incapacity to work (eAU), which is transmitted directly to health insurers without the need for submission by policyholders, has engendered a statistical effect. The DAK posits that approximately 60 percent of the rise in sick leave due to colds can be ascribed to this procedural alteration. Additionally, respiratory diseases and COVID-19 infections contributed to this phenomenon.
Union parties undecided
Union faction vice-chair Sepp Müller (CDU) expressed receptiveness to the notion that employees should not receive wages on the first day of illness, noting that social systems are increasingly strained. He remarked that although waiting days are not in their election program, it could be a tried-and-true approach.
The Union faction’s health policy spokesperson, Tino Sorge, asserted that very few individuals call in sick for amusement and called for a “sickness summit” to deliberate on the situation with stakeholders. The CDU’s social wing opposed Allianz CEO Oliver Bäte’s proposal. Dennis Radtke, chairman of the internal workers’ association CDA, stated in a media report that the proposal was unacceptable and epitomized a culture of mistrust towards employees. Radtke feared that low-income individuals would be disproportionately affected, as they might work while sick due to financial concerns. To manage costs, he suggested alternative savings measures, such as digitization or eliminating non-insurance benefits. He argued that top-down class struggle would not resolve statutory health insurance issues or advance the country.
DGB, IG Metall outraged
The DGB criticized the proposals as profoundly unfair, with board member Anja Piel suggesting that more individuals would work despite being ill. She noted that presenteeism, where employees work while sick, is pervasive across industries. This behavior not only harms individual health but also leads to colleague infections, resulting in economic costs twice as high as absenteeism due to illness. Piel emphasized that continued wage payment during illness is a social protection right from the first day, ensuring that sick employees can recuperate. The IG Metall described it as outrageous to accuse employees of malingering. Board member Hans-Jürgen Urban argued that reintroducing waiting days would undermine social security and promote prolonged illnesses, asserting that the German economy thrives with better working conditions, not sick employees.
An end to telephone sick notes?
In response to the high levels of sickness in many companies and workplaces, Lars Feld, the former head of the Council of Economic Experts, called for an end to telephone sick notes. He told the news portal T-Online that sickness levels in Germany are excessively high and suggested that, unlike their Swiss counterparts, Germans are incentivized by current conditions to report sick more frequently. Therefore, telephone sick notes should be abolished. Feld also recommended reevaluating continued wage payment during illness and sickness benefits, particularly concerning eligibility requirements. He noted that in Switzerland, these benefits are not automatic but must be insured as an additional service. While it is essential that no one with a contagious illness goes to work, it is also important to investigate the underlying reasons for Germany’s higher structural sickness rates. He emphasized that instead of contemplating working less, everyone should work more to prevent Germany from becoming poorer.
