{"id":629926,"date":"2026-07-04T11:35:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T11:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/?p=629926"},"modified":"2026-07-04T11:35:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T11:35:00","slug":"german-clampdown-on-sick-leave-no-more-phoning-it-in-doc-note-needed-on-day-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/?p=629926","title":{"rendered":"German Clampdown On Sick Leave: No More Phoning It In, Doc Note Needed On Day 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

German Clampdown On Sick Leave: No More Phoning It In, Doc Note Needed On Day 1<\/span><\/p>\n

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In a stark departure from its reputation for employee-coddling, the German government is attacking the mass abuse of sick leave with strict new policies that would require a doctor’s note obtained on the very first day an employee is sick<\/strong>, with no ability to simply take a sick day with a mere phone call. The reform package also targets retirement ages, tax rates,\u00a0 regulations, welfare benefits and the ease of hiring and firing<\/strong>. It’s expected to pass parliament by year’s end.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe number of sick days is too high,\u201d <\/strong>German chancellor Friedrich Merz told<\/a> reporters. \u201cWe are creating a set of tools that will enable those involved, both employees and companies, to correct this. We know this is a tough decision. But we can no longer afford the competitive disadvantage<\/strong> caused by prolonged absences from work.\u201d Merz said the changes are needed to invigorate Germany’s economy, which has faltered after the COVID pandemic and suffered from the West’s interventions in the Ukraine war and Iran.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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After months of disagreements, Germany\u2019s governing coalition has agreed on sweeping reforms to revive its economy.<\/p>\n

Chancellor Merz hopes changes to the tax code, less bureaucracy, and a more flexible job market will help. But will they be enough to fix Germany? pic.twitter.com\/jHqmUJBG4D<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 DW Politics (@dw_politics) July 2, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Previously, employees in Germany didn’t need a doctor’s note until their third day of absence, and they could obtain the note via a phone call to a doctor. The rules also granted up to six weeks of leave per illness. A new bout of sickness started a new six-week clock.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On top of enjoying six weeks of vacation time,\u00a0the average German has been taking nearly three weeks of sick leave per year.\u00a0<\/strong>The German sick-time pace\u00a0is about double the US pace<\/a>, and is also higher than the call-out frequency in Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark, Poland and Italy. However,\u00a0sick-leave abuse is even worse in France<\/a> and most of the Nordic states.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Predictably, German trade unions are up in arms. Frank Werneke, who leads the services-sector union Verdi, said Merz was “creating a culture of distrust of employees.”<\/strong>\u00a0(Seems like maybe the employees collectively cultivated that distrust by casually calling out sick.)\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cNow remove their sick leave, tell them they need to suffer through a heatwave without AC, and make their trains break down\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, my queen, it will be done. Glory to Germany\u201d https:\/\/t.co\/WZkyNbJ1JD<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/a8lD3G2Nps<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Nikolaus M (@foxofreason) July 2, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Medical professionals are squawking too, warning the policy will be a hammer-blow to efficiency and doctor availability. The German Association of Family Physicians called the new rules “an absolute catastrophe,”<\/strong> adding that “our practices would be flooded with patients<\/a> who don\u2019t need in-person care and would be better off in bed.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

The German reform package resulted from negotiations between Merz’s center-right Christian Democratic Union Party and the Left-wing Social Democrat Party that is part of the ruling coalition. The package<\/a> also includes<\/a>:<\/p>\n