The mandatory submission of a medical certificate from the very first day of illness could potentially extend rather than reduce employee absenteeism, according to a survey conducted for the VdK social association, as reported by the “Tagesspiegel Background”.
The results indicate several counterintuitive behaviors if such a new regulation were implemented. Twenty-one percent of respondents stated that they would proactively extend their sick leave for longer than necessary simply to avoid subsequent doctor’s appointments required for re-certification. Furthermore, another 14 percent of employees indicated that they would opt to “go to work when sick” to save the hassle of a doctor’s visit-a scenario that would increase the risk of infection among colleagues. Additionally, three percent reported that they would choose to use vacation days when feeling unwell. In total, 60 percent of employees said that the proposed new regulation would not change their current behavior.
VdK President Verena Bentele warned that compelling employees to visit a doctor on the first day risks encouraging people to attend work while sick or to take unnecessarily long periods of sick leave. She argued that this outcome is the direct opposite of what the reform is intended to achieve, ultimately harming employees, businesses, and already overburdened medical practices.
The survey also specifically addresses and refutes the common assumption that employees frequently report illness when they are, in fact, healthy. The social association pointed out that 73 percent of respondents confirmed that they have only previously reported being sick when they were “clearly ill and completely unable to work.” While 21 percent admitted to doing so even with somewhat milder illnesses, only three percent reported ever faking an illness when perfectly healthy. Bentele concluded that those who assume mass abuse of sick leave are deliberately misleading themselves, stating that this assumption reflects a deep-seated mistrust of millions of honest working people.
